Fueling Bilingual Brains!

Funded Jan 20, 2017

We've been eating snacks from Donors Choose at the beginning of the after-school program for a few weeks now. Students are more focused and eager to get started after a long day of school. We don't have to worry about which teacher is going to Costco or Walmart to buy snacks for the kids-only to have them run out before the end of the week. All of the after school teachers, grades 2-5, have shared and distributed their snacks and it looks like we have enough to last until the end of the year. Thanks to your generosity, this is one less thing to worry about as we serve our students. Academically we are seeing improvement which comes partially from being nourished properly.

When we first got the snacks, students were so excited about the diversity of choices. They wrote a thank-you letter that first day. It seemed to be a turning point because up until that moment I had been telling them "We hope to get regular snacks soon from some donors. Sorry, we don't have anything today." Then, when the students felt that their snack supply was secure, they began to pay more attention faster at the beginning of the session. We are focusing on solving math word problems in English which is difficult for English Language Learners. Last week for the first time, the entire class solved a page of word problems without any assistance.

We are so thankful that you chose to donate to this project. Although there are many factors that contribute to student achievement, regular food is an important one. Know that your kindness has made a difference!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Cortes