3 Tips for a Successful Back-to-School Kitting Party

Parents aren’t the only ones who spend big on back-to-school supplies. Thousands of teachers around the United States offset their school supply budgets by forking over close to $600 of their own money just for the most basic of supplies. Some of the most sought-after items include staples, copy paper, holiday decorations and colored pencils, but, for many educators, the list has grown to hygiene items and clothing. It’s these day-to-day necessities that leave teachers scrambling to ensure they have the items their classrooms need to run smoothly.

Two-thirds of all classroom supplies are purchased by teachers, and more than 91 percent of teachers offset the lack of basic supplies for students that fall under the poverty line. The costs quickly add up, and out-of-pocket teaching supplies can equal close to $1 billion every year.

The Impact of a Well-stocked Classroom

Sadly, without these expenditures, many classrooms would lack the resources children need to learn or to participate in creative projects, and with the majority of public school students living under the poverty line, many parents simply can’t afford to pay for supplies.

When teachers are able to provide their impoverished students with adequate supplies, their learning experience is transformed – their limitations become opportunities and equality in the classroom environment.

Finding a Solution

The year 2018 has carried a continuous debate around education policy, school choice, vouchers and teacher training. Budgets are spread further and tax dollars are intensely debated. What we must remember is that students need tools to learn, and it’s incumbent on parents, school districts and policymakers to fight for these resources. Parents must urge their local school districts and state legislatures to adequately fund education, including instituting programs that outfit teachers and schools with the supplies students need in order to learn. Teachers must remain vocal about the supplies they need the most and advocate for the districts that have the greatest needs. We should not let a lack of basic supplies keep them from doing their jobs. It’s time to support our teachers, give them the tools they need and ensure that all classrooms are well stocked throughout the school year. Our children deserve better, and understanding there’s a need helps to create conversations about solutions.

It’s our hope that every classroom will soon have access to unlimited supplies pencils, pens, highlighters, chalk erasers, crayons, STEM toys, books and highlighters – simply, tools that help our children learn. The basics can seem so basic in the right light.

From backpacks to binders, to USB drives and glue sticks, the rising cost of school supplies is putting a definite pinch on the average families’ budget. When families are simply unable to choose between the grocery bill and the school supply list, it’s our children that suffer, often creating a class system in our public schools.

Experts say school districts have considerably less funds for supplies, so they are forced to push the costs onto families or even more likely the teachers. Basic classroom staples like markers, construction paper, cleaning supplies, tissues, copy paper and printer ink become limited and must be stretched throughout the year. While the requests may seem like mild annoyances for a middle-class family, it can feel like an insurmountable burden for poor families, who already struggle just to outfit their own kids for school. Many parents have to make the difficult choice between basic grooming and hygiene necessities or back to school supplies, prior to the school year starting. It can just be too much of a stretch for them.

• This year the supply list for an elementary school student costs about $650, up from an inflation-adjusted $375 in 2006,according to the annual Huntington Bank’s Backpack Index.
• A middle-school student might run $1,000; up from $525. And sending a fully equipped high-schooler off to class can cost nearly $1,500 — compared to $800 just 10 years ago.
• All together that’s an average of about $1,000 — nearly the same as the average U.S. monthly mortgage payment.

If there is more than one child in the household those costs can multiply and often begin to feel overwhelming. In fact, a recent research poll done by the nonprofit Junior Achievement, states 60 percent of U.S. parents struggle to pay for their school supplies.

Buying in Bulk Saves Throughout the Year

Buying school supplies in bulk is one of the best ways to save money, especially over the long run. If you’re looking for ways to get more “bang” for your buck as well as keep a nice hefty stock of items you use every single day in your classroom or in your student’s bag, then shopping bulk wholesale is the only way to go.

Check out these amazing products that you can use all season long.

• Pencils
• Backpacks
• Folders
• Glue sticks

The Organizations That Help

As the need for school supplies increase nationally, more organizations are attempting to step up to fill the need. Here are a few partners that currently support back to school and school supply shortages:

• Kids in Need Foundation
• Good360
• Youth Lift
• United Way