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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Szczecinski from Chicago, IL is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Szczecinski is requesting

Empowering Families of Children with Special Needs!

My students need books and sensory materials.

  • $452 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Help Mrs. Szczecinski

My Students

Imagine being a parent getting a diagnosis of Autism or a genetic disorder from the doctor. Imagine being a grandparent or aunt who needs to care for this child due to family dysfunction. These situations are a reality in my classroom.

Our school is home to about 300 students in a high poverty, inner city neighborhood.

Our school is highly mobile with almost 20% of our students experiencing homelessness. Despite the challenges that our students face, they are incredibly resilient. The students that learn in my classroom all have low incidence disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, and Down Syndrome. Their vivacious personalities, zest for life, and boldness are a huge part of our school culture. They do not let developmental delays or poverty get in the way of their learning. I truly LOVE my job as their teacher and cannot imagine teaching a different group of children.

My Project

The materials we are requesting are to empower the families of the students I teach. I notice that these families are often very uneducated about their child's needs, but are typically very interested and willing to learn more. They know a lot about their child as a person, but not always a lot about why they exhibit a lot of their challenging behaviors or research based strategies to reach their child best. I am requesting a set of books to help families learn more about the needs of their child. These books give tips on preventing meltdowns, teaching about sensory needs, and ways to engage their child. We are also requesting a set of noise canceling headphones for specific students to bring home. Many of my students use these tools to help with noise cancellation due to sensory needs, but they do not have these at home.

Empowering families is the best way to help a child holistically.

Just having success at school is simply not enough. Please help us to bring our school success full circle and help my students have full, happy lives!

Mrs. Szczecinski William H Brown Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Szczecinski

Chicago, IL View local requests

Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

9 students impacted 3donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Szczecinski is requesting.

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
101 Games and Activities for Children With Autism Spectrum a • AKJ Books $15.26 9 $137.34
The New Social Story Book, Revised and Expanded 10th Anniver • AKJ Books $31.46 4 $125.84
No More Meltdowns • AKJ Books $13.46 4 $53.84
HEARING PROTECTOR HS40 BASIC - EACH • School Specialty $9.49 3 $28.47

Materials cost

$345.49

Vendor shipping charges

 $2.85

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.18

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$383.52

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$67.68

Total project goal

$451.20

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $451.20

2 Donors

-$225.60

Donations toward project cost

-$191.76

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.84

match offer

-$225.60

Match offer toward project cost

-$191.76

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$33.84

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Szczecinski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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