Crayons to Classrooms Distributes Over $109,000 to Local First-Year Teachers

Crayons to Classrooms’ First-Year Teacher Program expands for the second year in a row, now welcoming the University of Dayton as a new partner alongside Wright State University and Cedarville University.

Last week, Crayons to Classrooms hosted three shopping events, one for each university, allowing graduates to celebrate together and reconnect with classmates and professors before beginning their teaching careers. The new partnership with the University of Dayton welcomed 27 first-year teachers to its inaugural event.

“Crayons to Classrooms is an amazing program that is truly making a difference for teachers and students in the Dayton area,” shares Erin Cunnane, first-year teacher from the University of Dayton. “This shopping experience alleviated the financial stress and allows me time to focus on lesson planning, getting to know my case load, and settling into my first year of teaching smoothly. I am so thankful for C2C and know my students will be so excited by all these supplies.”

A total of 95 first-year teachers shopped for free at the Dayton Teacher Resource Center. They shopped for core school supplies like pencils, notebooks, and filler paper, as well as other essential academic materials like books, STEAM supplies, backpacks, hygiene items, classroom decorations, desk organizers, and more. The shopping events distributed a total of $109,364.29 in supplies, each teacher saving an average of $1,100 on classroom and student supplies.

“For the most part, teachers buy their own supplies,” shares Tracey Kramer, Director, Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences. “It’s important that we are supporting them early in their careers.”

Thank you to KeyBank and Day Air Credit Union for funding this program. Their support allows us to make sure that new teachers in our community receive supplies for their students through our resource center.