This week, we’re helping a kindergarten teacher in San Bernardino add some books to her classroom, and a rural Michigan science teacher slide a little art into her science lessons. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects.
The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods.As always, our conduit isDonorsChoose,a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporationthat facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools.
Yay, we have two new projects this week!
Mrs. Mejia teaches kindergarten in San Bernardino, a city east of Los Angeles. She’s hoping to get her students some books they’ll enjoy reading. We’re helped today by 2x matching funds from The Helen and Will Webster Foundation: We care deeply about making sure that students in Southern California have access to the resources they need to learn and thrive this school year.
Resources:Help me give my students access to books they can read independently and enjoy.
Economic need:An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location:Hunt Elementary School, San Bernardino, California
Total:$329.46 (2x matching funds fromThe Helen and Will Webster Foundation)
Still Needed: $329.46 $225.05 ($113 from us)
Project description by Mrs. Mejia: I want to create a classroom library filled with books that inspire a love of reading and support students’ literacy growth. Many of my students come to school eager to explore new stories, and having a wide variety of books will allow them to choose titles that match their interests and reading levels.
A well-stocked classroom library gives students the opportunity to read independently, practice new skills, and engage in collaborative reading activities.
By offering books that are diverse, engaging, and grade-appropriate, we can help students build confidence, expand their vocabulary, and develop a lifelong love of reading.
This project will provide students with a print-rich environment where they can explore stories, discover new ideas, and see themselves reflected in the books they read. Your support will help make reading fun, accessible, and meaningful for every child in our classroom.
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
This is one of the books requested.
Mrs. Smith teaches both middle school and high school science classes in a small rural village in the middle of Michigan. Her school can’t afford to teach art, but she’s determined to fold it into science when she can!
Resources:Help me give my students the clay, underglaze, and glaze as they make connections with art and our science lessons.
Economic need:An Equity Focus School; nearly all students from low‑income households.
Location:Ashley Community School, Ashley, Michigan
Total:$391.95
Still Needed: $391.95 $327.54
Project description by Mrs. Smith: We have some pretty awesome students at our rural, Title I school! I teach several different science classes at both Middle and High School levels. My students don’t have the luxury of art classes as funding just doesn’t allow for it. I’m a firm believer in the necessity of fine arts and try to incorporate artistic projects as often as I can. Through the generosity of a local grant, I was able to purchase a tabletop kiln for my classroom. Now, I need a bit of help to purchase some supplies to make the project ideas come to life.
Ceramics is the perfect way to demonstrate chemical reactions in an artistic fashion.
Please help me help my students grow creatively in science! We are requesting glaze, clay and a sponge set. Thank you for your support!
Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference!
Here’s a short introduction to the basics of ceramics.
Both our projects from last week were completed! Many, many thanks to our readers for supporting these teachers!
Project #1, Draw, Write, and Dream: A Classroom Restock: Dr. Rowell’s pre-kindergarten students in Baltimore needed pencils, crayons, and markers to help them progress into the early stages of writing..
She writes: Thank you so much for your generous support in funding our DonorsChoose project for writing supplies. Your kindness and commitment to education will make meaningful difference in our classroom.
Because of you, my students now have the tools they need to express their thoughts, develop their creativity, and strengthen their writing skills. These supplies are more than just materials—they are opportunities for my students to grow in confidence.
Thank you again for believing in our classroom and for helping make learning come alive.
Project #2, Empowering Readers with Text-to-Speech Tools: Ms. Marilyn teaches middle school on theRosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Her special needs students needed some assistive technologies to prevent their reading disabilities from holding them back.
She writes: Thank you for your generous support of our classroom. Your donation has provided students with assistive technology that makes reading more accessible through text-to-speech, audio, and visual supports. Because of your kindness, students who struggle with reading can better access learning materials, build confidence, and participate more fully alongside their peers. Your generosity has made a meaningful and lasting impact on our students’ academic growth and success. We are truly grateful for your support.
DonorsChoose has developed the designationEquity Focus Schoolsto describe someschools that submit projects.They meet ANY of these criteria: ❧ At least 50% of students are Black, Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or multiracial ❧ At least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch ❧ Rural schools where more than one third (34+%) of the students are eligible for free and reduced priced lunch You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education.
Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund projects in neighborhood publicschools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households.We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required!
Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 1218! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose.
