Teacher’s Aid Program

The Foundation’s Teacher’s Aid Program (TAP) addresses the needs of teachers who serve under-resourced communities by providing funding for tools and supplies that are excluded from standard classroom budgets, such as books and equipment. TAP grants typically range from a few hundred dollars to $2,000.

A librarian at the Elmhurst School (PS 89) in Queens, explains this need by saying, "students constantly request books that we cannot give them due to not having enough copies or, more commonly, not having a copy at all. Not a day goes by where students do not ask me for new books." Through the TAP grant she will be able to provide nearly 2,000 students with access to high-interest, new books and, in her words, "be able to continue to make students excited about reading."

To create, “life-long learners and teachers of Social Studies” a third grade teacher at PS 192 in Brooklyn, will purchase a classroom library of world geography books and engage students with the use of new, interactive technology. She explains, “Students in my class rarely have experience with technology or a library outside of the classroom. With recent cuts my students do not have a technology class, nor a designated time to work on the computers. As a teacher I have had to create time in the day for students to use the one computer in our room. With a projector and document camera it will be much easier for my students to be involved in learning.” The use of technology is an important skill for all 21st century students and access to these materials can ensure that they have the same academic opportunities as their peers from better-resourced schools.

 
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