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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Helgerson from Washington, DC is requesting supplies through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Helgerson is requesting

Seeding the Future: PreK Sprouts a Garden

My students need a plant stand and light fixture to start growing seedlings indoors in order to observe their growth up close in a safe environment before planting them outside.

  • $986 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Helgerson for her next project!

Help Ms. Helgerson

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Helgerson for her next project!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Have you ever felt excited about something you can see happening around you, but been unable to take part in a meaningful way? Our little green thumbs need some extra support in order to be an integral part of our school gardens.

The students in my classroom are between the ages of 3 and 5 years old and each one has some identified developmental delay.

In addition to struggling with the typical early childhood challenges, such as accepting the need to share and learning the ABCs, they come to school everyday with individual challenges that the majority of us take for granted. Difficulties with speaking, understanding language, regulating emotion and behavior, and day to day basics such as eating, toilet training, and mobility can become blockades to full participation in all our public school has to offer. But don't try to tell them they aren't capable of doing something! These kids are confident and always able to make the most of what you put in front of them!

My Project

Our school has had an active garden for two years now. We have been struggling with the challenges of growing things in the spring in order for us to be able to harvest them before the end of the school year. So far, we have had to raise money to buy seedlings or hope for donations from friendly neighborhood gardens for the plants we cannot directly seed outdoors because of our relatively late frost date. We need a plant table and grow lights for the next step in bringing the garden into our classroom and curriculum. It will become an integral part of our daily routine, allowing our small fingers and short statures to be a part of the birth of our garden's bounty! From getting to push a tiny seed into dark rich soil, to watching it grow and develop until it is ready to move on to its next home, will mirror the growth and development happening in our classroom.

As one of the founding teachers of our "Green Team," I have had a first hand look at how important and exciting getting your hands dirty can be for a child.

Living in an urban area where fast food is readily available and the cheapest food is often the least healthy and fresh, a school garden becomes even more important. I have seen a child decide they like radishes after growing them from seed, now let's get them eating broccoli and cabbage!

Ms. Helgerson Harriet Tubman Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Helgerson

Washington, DC View local requests

More than half of 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

200 students impacted 33donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Plant Stand, Sunlighter, 8 Tray • Carolina Biological Supply Company $184.30 1 $184.30
Light Fixture, Sunlighter • Carolina Biological Supply Company $83.12 6 $498.72

Materials cost

$683.02

Vendor shipping charges

 $68.30

Sales tax

 $40.98

3rd party payment processing fee

$10.25

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$837.55

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$147.80

Total project goal

$985.35

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $985.35

29 Donors

-$978.29

Donations toward project cost

-$837.55

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$140.74

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$7.06

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 Ms. Helgerson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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