DO:

• Talk, talk, talk with your child! The more words your child hears each day, the stronger your child's language skills will become, which in turn will support future reading development.
• Have fun, and make sure your child has fun, during reading and writing activities.
• Keep activities to a few minutes. As your child's attention span grows, you can choose books or activities that are longer.
• Believe that reading is important in school and in life.
• Believe that, with your help, your child will become a strong reader.
• Visit a library often.
• Understand that it is normal if your child wants to read the same story over and over. Use this opportunity to ask a different question or talk about new words each time you read the story.
• Remember that building reading readiness skills takes time, and children's learning rates vary. Be patient and supportive of your child's efforts and enjoy the learning process.
• Use materials that your child can hold: small objects, pictures, puppets, alphabet letter cards, blocks, magnets, and pointers. Using some of these materials will keep our child engaged and learning through several different senses (vision, hearing, touch, and movement).
• Spend time teaching or showing your child a new reading readiness skill, such as identifying letters, before you ask him or her to perform the task independently.
• Watch educational TV shows or play education computer games with your child, rather than leaving your child alone for these activities.

DON'T:

• Feel that you have to read every word on every page in a book.  Sometimes this makes the story too long and the experience frustrating. It's okay to skip a little or just talk about the pictures.

• Worry if your preschool child reverses letters (b for d) or letter sequences (gril for girl). This is part of the normal learning process for young children and does not mean your child may have dyslexia.

• Pressure your child to answer your questions, name letters, or accomplish other reading readiness skills. If he or she cannot do the skill independently, do it together in a fun, supportive way.

• Insist that your child write on a time line. Preschoolers often do not have enough motor control to manage this and may become frustrated. Instead, give your child blank paper for writing activities.

• Substitute TV shows or computer games for interactive activities with you or another caring, attentive adult. Children learn best through fun interactions with people who love and care for them.

Excerpt from "A Parent's Guide  to Reading Readiness" (ISBN 978-87659-318-9) by Nemours BrightStart!, 32 pages.  Available May 2010, $3.95.

The “System” is shorthand for the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela.  Up and down Venezuela, a quarter of a million kids are  spending six afternoons a week, from 2pm to 6pm, intensively studying classical music. This is a radical social project in which children, often living in unthinkable circumstances, are given the chance to punch through the poverty cycle - with the help of skills learned through music.

The network of youth orchestras is a state-funded program that runs local music schools where half a million children have received musical education since 1975. The goal of Venezuela's classical music system is to reach into barrios (neighborhoods) driven by drugs and guns and use music to teach broader lessons.  he education and instruments provided at "the system’s" after-school centers around the country are free. The program is aimed at transforming the lives of the country’s poorest children by keeping them away from the drug and gang-infested streets.  Poverty means loneliness, sadness and anonymity. An orchestra means joy, motivation, and teamwork. For most of the children, this is a way to a dignified, decent life.  Orchestra music is in essence a participatory activity that requires teamwork towards a shared goal, and makes its participants sensitive to each other. 

As part of the state program, about 250,000 students are playing in orchestras. These orchestras are tucked into the poorest barrios of the biggest cities as well as villages in some of the most far-flung corners of the country. Their music education, fully funded by a succession of Venezuelan governments, has become an international model that has spurred the creation of similar programs in about a dozen countries in Latin America.

With dozens of dozens of youth orchestras around the country today, the most promising students in "the System" can try out for the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, which has performed all over the world. Tne of the best-known products of "the system" is Edicson Ruiz, who at the age of nine was working part-time as a bag boy in a supermarket to complement his mother’s meager wages, but by 17 had become the youngest ever double bass player in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Simon Bolivar Orchestra has been led by 27-year-old Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, who himself played the violin in the first Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra concert at the Kennedy Centre 14 years ago. I watched Dudamel conduct the LA Philharmonic a few months ago and he is a brilliant conductor. I have also heard that he has brought this program (The System) to Los Angeles.

If you know about this or any other similar programs please let me know so that I can share it with others.  http://www.jackiesilberg.com/

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jackie has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, and in Singapore.  Listen to Ones, Twos, and Threes with Jackie Silberg on the BAM! Street Radio Network. 

Through a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, all employees of Kaplan Early Learning Company were given the opportunity to volunteer a paid work day to serve the community.  In all, 166 staff members volunteered to serve on one of six designated dates: May 12, 13, 18, 24, 25 and June 3, 2010. 

Kaplan provided lunch to employees on their volunteer day and transportation to the Second Harvest Food Bank was offered for any employees requiring it on their volunteer day.  Over the course of six days, Kaplan volunteers processed approximately 94650 pounds of food - enough to feed 3,786 people for one week.

“The world becomes a better place when we lend a helping hand,” said Matthew Marceron, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Kaplan Early Learning Company.  "As a nation, our future success depends upon our ability to conquer hunger and ensure every child receives a quality education.”

“I believe that when you lift others up, you too will be lifted up and blessed… and the cycle will continue,” said Linda Burnette, a Kaplan employee who helped inspire the campaign.  Burnette, who felt passionate about the homeless, interviewed several homeless people in our community.  The interviews were published this fall in “Just a Paycheck Away,” a book she authored to share true-life stories from the hearts of our local homeless. She encourages her fellow employees to volunteer because “supporting those in need of food may directly benefit someone you know someday.”  Burnette is donating proceeds from the sale of her book to the Samaritan Ministries.

Kaplan also hosted a food drive May 10-14, 2010 with donation boxes located in the reception areas, offices and distribution center.  Each employee was given a donation bag imprinted with the Kaplan logo and encouraged to bring a contribution of needed food drive items with them on their day of volunteer service.

American folk songs provide a rich resource for teaching about our culture and developing social interaction between children.  Clapping, snapping, stamping, and moving in with the syncopated patterns of American folk chants, circle games, and songs helps children learn more easily in many ways. Here are some folk songs and activities you can try with your children! 

JIM ALONG JOSIE

The simple dance-song Jim Along Josie, said to be based on an old minstrel song, is widely known as a game or play-party song.

Hey jim along, jim along Josie,
Hey jim along, jim along Jo.
Hey jim along, jim along Josie,
Hey jim along, jim along Jo.

Walk jim along, jim along Josie,
Walk jim along, jim along Jo.  (Repeat)

Hop jim along, jim along Josie,
Hop jim along, jim along Jo.  (Repeat)

Improvisation & Rhythmic Play

Josie can have different ideas and movements other than those in the traditional text given above.

Run, jim along, jim along Josie,
Run jim along, jim along Jo. (Repeat)

Jump, jim along, jim along Josie,
Jump jim along, jim along Jo. (Repeat)

Tiptoe along, jim along Josie,
Tiptoe along, jim along Jo. (Repeat)

Crawl along, jim along, jim along Josie,
Crawl along jim along, jim along Jo. (Repeat)

Swing along, sing along, jim along Josie,
Swing along, sing along jim along Jo. (Repeat)

Roll, jim along, jim along Josie,
Roll jim along, jim along Jo. (Repeat)

OLD JOE CLARKE

Old Joe Clarke, a well-known square-dance tune, draws together groups of children and the traditional refrains lend themselves to free rhythmic play. 

Round and round, old Joe Clarke,
Round and round, I say,
Round and round, old Joe Clarke,
I haven’t got long to stay.
Old Joe Clarke he had a house,
Sixteen stories high,
Ev’ry story in that house
Was full of chicken pie.

Improvisation & Rhythmic Play

Encourage children to think of other ending verses that rhyme with "high."  Let children turn around and around.

LITTLE BIRD, LITTLE BIRD

Little bird, little bird, go through my window,
Little bird, little bird, go through my window,
Little bird, little bird, go through my window,
And buy molasses candy.

Refrain
Go through my window, my sugar lump,
Go through my window, my sugar lump,
And buy molasses candy.

Rythmic Play

This song lends itself to free rhythmic play as well as to simple game playing.  Have two children join hands and hold arms high to form an arch.  The others pass beneath, one by one.  In another variation, have All the children except one form a circle with hands joined and arms arched to form windows.  The remaining child goes in and out the windows.

SKIP-A TO MY LOU

This song has hundreds of stanzas and is always picking up more!  One collector has compiled 150.  Find 22 below to encourage improvisation.  The phrase "skip-a to my lou" has numerous variants (i.e., "skip to ma lou," "skip to my lula," "skip come a lou," "shoo li loo," and "shoo la lay").

Little red wagon, painted blue,
Little red wagon painted blue,
Little red wagon painted blue,
Skip-a to my lou, my darling.

Refrain
Lou, lou, skip-a to my lou,
Lou, lou, skip-a to my lou,
Lou, lou, skip-a to my lou,
Skip-a to my lou, my darling.

Improvisations

Pig in the parlor, what’ll I do?...

Cat in the buttermilk, lapping up cream...

Rats in the bread tray, how they chew...

Chickens in the garden, shoo shoo shoo...

Rabbit in the cornfield, big as a mule...

Cow in the kitchen, moo cow moo...

Hogs in the potato patch, rooting up corn...

Going to market two by two...

Dad’s old hat and Mama’s old shoe...

Back from market, what did you do?...

Had a glass of buttermilk, one and two...

Skip skip, skip-a to my lou...

Skip a little faster, that won’t do...

Going to Texas, come along too...

Lost my partner, what’ll I do?...

I’ll get another one prettier than you...

Catch that red bird, skip-a to my lou...

If you can’t get a red bird, take a blue...

If you can’t get a blue bird, black bird’ll do...

Game

Skip-a to My Lou” can be played in many ways.  Here is a simple variation:  Have children form a circle with one child in the center.  Children clap and sing while the  child in the center skips around.  At the refrain “Lou lou,” the child in the center chooses a child from the circle to skip with him.  At the end of the refrain the first child returns to the circle and the second child repeats the game pattern while a new stanza is sung.

WHERE OH WHERE IS PRETTY LITTLE SUSIE?  PAWPAW PATCH

Where oh where is pretty little Susie?
Where oh where is pretty little Susie?
Where oh where is pretty little Susie?
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

Come on, boys, let’s go find her,
Come on, boys, let’s go find her,
Come on, boys, let’s go find her,
‘Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

Game

Even two-year-olds like to make a hiding game with this song.  Have one child hide during stanza 1 while the others cover their eyes.  At “Come on, boys,” (stanza 2) the group runs to find him.  An improvised third stanza brings everyone back again.

Come on, boys, bring her back again,
Come on, boys, bring her back again,
Come on, boys, bring her back again,
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.

BOOKS FOR EDUCATORS

Seeger, R.C.  (1948).  American folk songs for children in home, school and nursery school.  Garden City NJ:  Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Seeger, R.C.  (1950).  Animal folk songs for children.  Garden City NJ:  Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Silberg,J,Schiller, P. The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House

WEBSITES

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/7438/

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/musicchild.htm
http://www.kididdles.com/mouseum/allsongs.html
http://www.jackiesilberg.com

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jacksie has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, and in Singapore.  Listen to Ones, Twos, and Threes with Jackie Silberg on the BAM! Street Radio Network.   Books by Jackie Silberg: Games to Play with Babies , Games to Play with Toddlers, Games to Play with Two Year Olds, Revised, Reading Games for Young Children, Brain Games for Babies, Brain Games for Toddlers & Twos 

How frequently do you use the phrase, “Show me,” or “Take a look,” or “I see”?  These phrases may have become so common in our daily communication because most of us are visual learners. When we use images, video, graphs, maps, or demonstrations to learn something new, we are visual learners.

As early childhood educators, we may be accustomed to accommodating to different learning styles in our work with children, but these same concepts apply to adults.  Research in educational theory and cognitive psychology indicates that visual learning is among the best methods for teaching both children and adults. This means that professional development materials for teachers should also be responsive to visual learners.

Pre-K Storypath© is one example of a professional development resource that supports visual learning. Pre-K Storypath is a supplemental curriculum that supports teachers in their goals to develop children’s language and literacy, build positive school-family relationships, scaffold children’s cognitive development, and practice authentic assessment.

Visual learners benefit from Pre-K Storypath’s innovative InGraphics™ format. Similar to a graphic novel, InGraphics™ teacher’s guides present a story in a sequence of realistic illustrations. The illustrated story is a model of teachers implementing curriculum and demonstrating best practice in their classroom.

The InGraphics™ story motivates readers to continue reading to find out what happens next. This visual format is especially appealing to young adults who came of age in a digital world. And InGraphics™ materials are culturally relevant—People of color see themselves mirrored in the culturally diverse characters.

The hybrid combination of visuals and text improves comprehension, especially for teachers who are learning English as a second language. The reader is able to slow down, review, skim, and skip. The images deepen understanding by providing details and context not included in text.

Take a look!

 Each Pre-K Storypath unit is based on a child-centered dramatic play scenario:

• The Restaurant
• The Post Office
• The Zoo  

Post written by Ann Gadzikowski.  Ann Gadzikowski, a graduate of the Erikson Institute, is an early childhood administrator and consultant in the Chicago area. She is the author of Story Dictation: A Guide for Early Childhood Professionals (Redleaf Press) and teaches early childhood education courses at Oakton Community College.

From Learn Every Day About Bugs and Spiders: 100 Best Ideas from Teachers

Learning Objectives

The children will:

1. Learn about colors and patterns in nature.
2. Practice their small motor skills.

   

Vocabulary

• butterfly
• color
• different
• meet
• pattern
• same
• sprinkle
• wings

Materials

• cheese grater
• broken crayons
• cups
• pictures of butterflies
• wax paper
• iron and ironing board
• old towels

Preparation

• Grate the broken crayons into small pieces, and place the pieces in cups on the table.
• Trace and cut butterfly shapes out of wax paper. Each child will need two.

What to Do

1. Show the children pictures of butterflies, and talk about how colorful their wings are. Be sure to point out how both wings look the same and share the same pattern.
2. Invite the children to create their own butterflies by sprinkling colorful crayon pieces on one of the wax paper butterflies.
3. When the children finish sprinkling crayon pieces on the wax paper butterflies, place the second butterfly on top of the first one, so that the crayon bits are sandwiched between the two layers.
4. Move the butterflies to a location away form the children for ironing.
5. Place a towel on a tabletop. Place another towel over the first butterfly and apply a warm iron. Move the iron around until all of the wax melts (Note: An adult-only step.) The butterfly should now have a pretty stained-glass look.
6. Repeat with the remaining butterflies.
7. Hang the butterflies in a window for the children to enjoy.

Assessment

• Ask the children if they know of other bugs that are colorful. Suggest ladybug, bumblebees, and beetles if they get stuck.
• Have the children draw pictures of colorful make-believe bugs.

Children's Books

• Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek
• Velma Gratch and Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Savor this tasty berry by whipping up a batch of Biscuit Blossoms, a fun take on strawberry shortcake from Snacktivities: 50 Edible Activities for Parents and Children by MaryAnn F. Kohl. Preparing this special treat with children ages 3 and up is a great way to spark the imaginations of budding chefs and shows how much fun good food can be.

Ingredients

Spinach leaves

Refrigerator biscuits (or your favorite biscuit recipe)

1 pint fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced with top removed

Utensils

Oven preheated to 375 F or according to biscuit directions

Paper towels

Baking sheets

Oven mitts

Kitchen scissors

Spatula

Process

1. Wash the spinach leaves under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

2. Open the package of biscuits and separate the biscuits from the roll. Snip tiny cuts around the edge of each biscuit with kitchen scissors to form flower petals. Or, cut biscuits in half and press them into flower shapes.

3. Place the biscuit blossoms about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Use a finger to press a dent in the center of the biscuit; arrange strawberry slices in dent.

4. Bake the biscuits for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Wear oven mitts and remove the biscuits from the oven. Cool a little.

5. Remove the Biscuit Blossoms from the baking sheet with a spatula and arrange them on the serving tray with spinach leaves. Serves 4-6.

Using music in your classroom promotes language learning!

According to Claire Bolton, a London-based Speech & Language Therapist, music influences language development in many ways:

• Music ensures that words are sequenced in a predictable order.  (Miss Jackie suggests: "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly")

• Music offers a fun opportunity to learn new words and concepts through repetition (an important factor when helping to improve a child’s language skills).  (Miss Jackie suggests: "All the Fish are Swimming in the Water" by Jackie Silberg

• Music encourages turn-taking behaviors -- the same as in a conversation.  (Miss Jackie suggests: Any call and response song)

• Music has rhythm (enabling actions to be combined with words to reinforce word meanings.(Miss Jackie suggests: "The Hokey Pokey")  
• Music has rhyme, which encourages children to become aware of words and their sounds. (Miss Jackie suggests: "Down by the Bay")

• Music helps children to remember new words, particularly once the child has learned the tune.  (Miss Jackie suggests:  "What’s a Friend For" by Jackie Silberg)

• Music helps attention and listening skills. (Miss Jackie suggests: "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt")

• Music and movement assists physical development and coordination skills. (Miss Jackie suggests: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

• Music motivates children to socialize, assisting emotional development.  (Miss Jackie suggests: "In and Out the Village" sung holding hands)

• Musical involvement is known to enhance self-esteem and confidence. (Miss Jackie suggests: "What Do You Like?" by Jackie Silberg)

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jackie received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Emporia State University, recognizing her current achievements as well as her long and prolific career. Jackie founded and directed the Jewish Community Center School of Music in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked for Channel 41 television, planning the music and performing her original music for "41 Treehouse Lane," a children's program.  She wrote and produced a television show for Time Warner called "Just Kids," which addressed children's needs and interests. Jackie has worked as a consultant with the Discovery Channel, setting up their music streaming website. She has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, and in Singapore. Jackie has served as an adjunct instructor at both Emporia State University and the University of Missouri at Kansas City and lectures at Johnson County Community College. Jackie is the owner of Miss Jackie Music Company.  Listen to Ones, Twos, and Threes with Jackie Silberg on the BAM! Street Radio Network.

Books by Jackie Silberg: Games to Play with Babies , Games to Play with Toddlers, Games to Play with Two Year Olds, Revised, Reading Games for Young Children, Brain Games for Babies, Brain Games for Toddlers & Twos 

Children’s social-emotional competencies are directly related to how well they do in math and reading according to the results of a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Denver, Colorado. This research study shows a direct and significant correlation between good mental health and academic performance.

The finding is based on a year-long study involving more than 1,000 public school children conducted by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children in Villanova, Pa. and the Anchorage, Alaska School District.

In the study, the social-emotional strengths of children in kindergarten through the eighth grade were assessed with the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). The DESSA is a 72 item, strength-based, social and emotional competencies assessment completed by teachers or parents, although only teachers were involved in this study. The DESSA scores were then were correlated with students’ reading and math grades. Strong positive correlations were found, indicating that social-emotional skills in school are related to how well children do in math and reading. 

“The data indicate that about 25 percent of the variance in math and reading grades can be accounted for by the children’s social and emotional skills,” said Paul LeBuffe, Co-Director of the Devereux Center for Resilient Children and one of the authors of the study.

“This research is compelling in many ways,” said LeBuffe. “We know that mental health has significant impact on the overall well-being of children, these data indicate just how critical it is to academic success as well.”

The Anchorage School District is on the leading edge of implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards, adopting them district-wide in 2006. Ann McKay Bryson is the Social Emotional Learning Professional Development Coach from the Anchorage School District and the study's co-author. “These findings suggest that by developing children's social and emotional skills we can help them learn better in school. Furthermore, these same social and emotional skills are important for success in the community, the home, and the workplace,” noted McKay Bryson. The Anchorage School District’s superintendent, the Alaska Association of School Boards, and The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) are working collaboratively to encourage establishment and funding of SEL standards nationwide.

Paul LeBuffe, M.A., is the Co-Director of the Devereux Center for Resilient Children in Villanova, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland and received his Master's degree in experimental psychology from Bryn Mawr College. Paul is an author of many widely-used assessments of behaviors related to children's social-emotional strengths and needs including the "Devereux Behavior Rating Scale - School Form", the "Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders (DSMD)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Clinical Form (DECA-C)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment - Infant/Toddler Form (DECA-I/T)" and most recently, the "Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)." His major research interests are the measurement and promotion of social-emotional competence and resilience in children, psychometrics and test development, treatment outcome evaluation in behavioral healthcare, and suicide prevention education.

Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most underserved and vulnerable members of our communities. Founded in 1912 by Helena Devereux, it operates a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and public education and prevention programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of individuals and families every year. Devereux helps empower children and adults with intellectual, emotional, developmental and behavioral challenges to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

"My students are all English Language Learners. Although they are all bright, often they do not perform as well as the monolingual students on English literacy assessments given by the school. With language and literacy games, they will be able to expand their English vocabulary, recognize letter sounds, rhyming, and decoding." (Ms. B., New York, NY)

Today’s public schools often lack resources for students to thrive.  As a result, teachers are spending $1 billion from their own pockets each year on supplies.  DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need through school donations. 

Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from gelboards for kindergarteners, to language photo cards for autistic students, to math games for engaging students.

Kaplan Early Learning Company wanted to sponsor a teacher’s project, and we narrowed down the candidates to five great projects.  From March 15-26, 2010, visitors to our Web site were given an opportunity to read descriptions of each project and to vote for the one they found the most compelling.

The day before voting closed we were delighted to discover that the project receiving the largest number of votes, Puppets and the Alphabet Go Hand in Hand, had been fully funded by other donors.  We were pleased to sponsor the runner-up, Help Us Become Super Readers, a project for Ms. B and her class of kindergarteners in the Bronx. 

“I truly believe that education is the key to empowerment and this is why I try to provide top quality instruction for my students. My goal is to ignite a life-long love of reading within my students,” wrote Ms. B. “I feel that I can better accomplish this goal with a variety of literacy games. I believe that if I make learning to read a more enjoyable experience for them, they will become not just readers, but SUPER READERS!”

Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org delivers the materials directly to the school. Donors get a thank-you letter from the teacher, a cost report showing how each dollar was spent, and photos of the project taking place.  If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students.

“I am so lucky to teach a class of wonderful kindergarten students every day.  Our school is located in a high-needs community in the Bronx.  Although most of my students come from low-income homes, they always come to school happy and eager to learn,” shared Ms. B.

DonorsChoose.org grew out of a Bronx high school where teachers experienced first-hand the scarcity of learning materials in our public schools. Charles Best, then a social studies teacher, sensed that many people would like to help distressed public schools, but were frustrated by a lack of influence over their donations. He created DonorsChoose.org in 2000 so that individuals could connect directly with classrooms in need. Since the site's inception, over 75,000 classroom projects have brought learning alive for students, primarily in high poverty neighborhoods, and over 2,000,000 students have received books, technology, supplies, field trips, class visitors and other resources. 

We encourage you to consider giving any amount to one of the projects highlighted on our DonorsChoose.org Giving Page or to browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you.