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Mr. Zuniga from Richmond, CA is requesting sports & exercise equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Special Education Self Regulation Project

Help me give my students weighted stuffed animals to help them with self-regulation and learning.

  • $779 goal

This project expired on June 1, 2025.

2X
Donations doubled!

This project expired on June 1, 2025.

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 Project

Weighted stuffed animals are essential to helping students in Special Education. They help students self-regulate to focus on classroom tasks. My Special Education students have high social and emotional needs as well as academic needs. Many of my students suffer from sensory disorders and have a very difficult time regulating their emotions, which leads to academic struggles. Because my students have a difficult time with self-regulation, I want to create a classroom environment that calms them and encourages them to learn. Weighted stuffed animals are proven very useful in helping TK to 3rd grade students self-regulate and focus on SEL lessons as well as academic lessons.

Overall, these items will help my students feel comfortable in the classroom.

These items are in very high demand as a SPED teacher with 24 students with IEPs plus 13 students that receive intervention for a total of 33 students. I want my students to feel loved and that their teacher cares for them, and these items will tell them that I care about their emotional regulation and not just their academic progress.

As a SPED teacher, I work in a very low-income community, and the students on my caseload all have very high needs, including academic or social-emotional needs. They bring problems that they experience at home to school. They often have a hard time coming to school. So, having items like these in my classroom will not only help them self-regulate their emotional needs, but it will send the message that my classroom is a sanctuary from the outside world. They can come into my classroom and hug weighted stuffed animals while they learn their letter names, letter sounds, and learn to count. This project does not only help my students; it helps whole families as well.

Mr. Zuniga Michelle Obama 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 Mr. Zuniga

Richmond, CA 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

Never Before Funded 33 students impacted

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

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Cuddly Puppy Weighted Shoulder Wrap • Lakeshore Learning Materials $49.99 2 $99.98
Lakeshore Weighted Washable Sensory Butterfly • Lakeshore Learning Materials $49.99 2 $99.98
Lakeshore Weighted Washable Calming Book • Lakeshore Learning Materials $39.99 2 $79.98
Abilitations Weighted Kordy Moose, 3 Pounds - Copper - Preschool-Early Childhood - Toddler • School Specialty $59.99 1 $59.99
Abilitations Weighted Kordy Hedgehog Animal, 3 Pounds - Copper - Preschool-Early Childhood - Toddler • School Specialty $59.99 1 $59.99
Abilitations Weighted Kordy Giraffe, 3 Pounds - Copper - Preschool-Early Childhood - Toddler • School Specialty $59.99 1 $59.99
Abilitations Weighted Kordy Elephant, Sensory Solution, 3 Pounds - Copper - Preschool-Early Childhood - Toddler • School Specialty $59.99 1 $59.99
meowtastic Pig Weighted Stuffed Animals - 12 Inch 1.0 Pounds Weighted Plush Pig Stuffed Animals - Small Stuffed Pig Weighted Plush Pillow - Cute Plush Toys Gifts for Kids & Adults (12" 1.0 lbs) • Amazon Business $16.99 1 $16.99

Materials cost

$536.89

Vendor shipping charges

 $38.00

Sales tax

 $49.13

3rd party payment processing fee

$8.05

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$662.07

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$116.84

Total project goal

$778.91

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

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