Crayons to Calculators is a community-wide school supply drive that is a unique collaboration between Boulder and Broomfield county nonprofits that receives the extensive support of numerous organizations and corporations. The project was organized to coordinate the disparate efforts of multiple nonprofits in addressing the back-to-school needs of more than 5,000 Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) students from low-income homes. The goal of the project is to increase community support of children in need and ensure that all students start school with the supplies they need to succeed.

This project truly stands apart because of its ability to successfully and cohesively provide low-income children with the supplies needed to flourish academically. As the project grows and more partners join the effort, the community will have one unified school supply drive that will benefit every student from an economically disadvantaged family. This enables the schools to operate at a much more effective level, and it has enhanced the quality of education in the classroom. Providing school supplies to students in need is an important and critical first step in ensuring that at-risk students achieve higher literacy levels, improve their academic performance and ultimately graduate.

We have little hope, as a community, of even beginning to impact the achievement gap if these students do not start school with the supplies they need. In fact, thousands of students routinely begin school without adequate supplies. However, with school supplies averaging between $50 and $70 per student, purchasing supplies is a stretch for any economically disadvantaged family in Boulder or Broomfield county. The Crayons to Calculators collaboration aims to make the start of the new school year as seamless as possible and help eliminate some of the financial burden that purchasing new school supplies can carry.

In 2008, Crayons to Calculators will begin stepping towards assisting the over 7,000 students in the St. Vrain Valley School District who need our help.

With your participation, we will make a difference!