The Tait Foundation Supports Young Learners in Montgomery County

The Tait Foundation supports Montgomery County early childhood classrooms with a grant to Crayons to Classrooms. This school year, C2C is serving 26 schools and 9 childcare centers in Montgomery County that have over 2,000 students enrolled in PreK-2nd grade. At each of these schools, at least 60% of students participate in the National School Lunch Program. Nearly three fourths of the students at these schools are coming to school empty-handed, and their teachers are reaching into their own pockets to fill in the gaps.

C2C’s Teacher Resource Center devotes an entire section to young learners’ needs, which offers teachers basics like crayons and safety scissors, as well as books, activities, and manipulatives targeted to early learners’ needs. In the Classroom Solutions section, many of the handmade items C2C volunteers produce are useful in a preschool or early elementary classroom environment, such as pocket hugs, journals, and activity kits. All of these products support young learners’ acquisition of fine and gross motor skills, socialization, cooperation, and more.

“Many students come to school without sufficient clothing not to mention school supplies,” shares Nitasha Stewart, first grade teacher at Valerie Elementary. “Having extra supplies allows me to provide for students who wouldn’t otherwise have them. It also allows me to spend less of my own money to aid students.”

The Tait Foundation works with our local community to make an impact on key issues for children and their families. By supporting our mission of securing and distributing school supplies at no cost to teachers of students in need, the Foundation helps provide young learners with the tools necessary to participate and thrive in the classroom.