For many mid-July seems too early to start thinking of kids returning to school. However many St. Louis schools begin classes in less than 30 days! With less than a month before school starts, St. Louis Arc kids need your help. Now in its 14th year, the St. Louis Arc Back to School Drive supports over 100 children in our Capable Kids and Family, Parents Learning Together, and Belle Children Services programs. Through partnerships with area businesses and the generosity from individuals in the St. Louis community, the Arc is able to send these students back to school ready to learn.
You Can Make a Difference
Many families are unable to fulfill the required list of school supplies their child needs on the first day of school. For a second grader in the St. Louis Public School system, there are 40 items expected to be in their backpack when they walk into the classroom. There are 45 items on the list for 11th graders in the Kirkwood School District. As schools lose funding and more demands are placed on teachers, the lists for new students seem to get longer and longer.
You can help the Arc ensure that students in our programs start the school year prepared. The next time you run an errand at your local store, please pick up a few glue sticks or a few pairs of scissors for the Back to School Drive. Binders, backpacks, loose-leaf paper, and markers are often items that are needed most. Anything you are able to contribute will help a child.
About Our Programs
Parents Learning Together (PLT) exists to support men and women who have developmental disabilities and are raising children of their own. Many PLT families have few financial resources and struggle to pay for even the most basic necessities. School supplies are guaranteed to touch each child’s heart in ways we cannot possibly imagine.
Capable Kids and Families (CKF) supports families of children aged birth through six years of age with developmental delays and developmental disabilities in St. Louis City and County. CKF offers monthly in-home visits with a trained family support specialist who focuses on the needs of the entire family. Under the guidance of the child’s physical, occupational, speech or developmental therapist, the support specialist brings along developmentally appropriate toys and therapeutic equipment, which the family can then borrow for as long as needed.
Items Needed
- #2 pencils
- Color pencils
- Crayons
- Rulers
- Glue Sticks
- Erasers
- Pens
- Highlighters
- Folders
- Kleenex
- Dry Erase Markers & Erasers
- Wide-rule Paper
- Scissors Backpacks
- 3-ring Binders
- Pencil Cases
- Composition Notebooks
- Calculator
The St. Louis Arc Back to School Drive drop-off site is at the St. Louis Arc Centene Family Center located at 1177 N. Warson Rd., St. Louis, MO 63132. You are welcome to stop by between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:30 pm. . Monday-Friday to drop-off supplies or monitory donations. School supplies need to be dropped off at the St. Louis Arc by Monday, August 6, 2018.
If your company, department, friends, or family would like to participate in the Back to School Drive, please contact Lisa Miller at 314-817-2235.