This year’s Adopt-A-School program reached new heights, but the numbers only tell part of the story. From a student picking up their very first watercolor paintbrush to sponsors like Alpha Residential building lasting connections with the schools they support, this season was full of meaningful moments. We sat down with our Adopt-A-School program coordinator to hear the stories behind the data, and to get a glimpse of what’s coming next year.
How many schools in total were adopted?
49 schools were adopted this year, 8 more than last year! This covers individual kits for about 17,000 total students.
Could you tell a student story that really stuck with you from the ‘25-’26 school year?
A story that really stuck with me this year came from an elementary school that selected the art add-on for their school’s kits. When survey responses from their teachers started to roll in, I saw an overwhelming amount of positive feedback for the art supplies. Many teachers shared that this was the first time some of their students ever had their own watercolor paint set and paintbrush.
The foundation of our work at TEP is to provide the core essentials to students, and often that’s thought of as just pencils, paper, etc. But what we know is that school supplies are more than just essentials. It’s the paint and paintbrushes that let students express their creativity. It’s the hygiene products that make them feel comfortable when they sit down at their desk. It’s the playdough and fidget toys in the treasure box that motivate them to do well in class.
It brought me so much joy to know that so many students felt empowered to express themselves with the art supplies from our kits.
In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between elementary, middle, and high school and why does the Adopt-A-School program make a difference for every age range?
Each kit type that we offer (elementary, middle, and high school) is tailored to the grade levels of the students served, i.e. primary serves PreK-2nd grade, elementary serves 3rd-5th grade, and Jr/Sr serves 6th-12th grade. I think a core component of the AAS program is that we try to root all of our decisions in data, and our kit types are one example of how we do that.
Each year, we survey adopted schools about the types of kits and their offerings. Kit types have had many iterations and continue to evolve as teacher and student needs change. The Adopt-A-School program makes a difference across all age groups by giving students and teachers exactly what they tell us they need.
What was a moment where a sponsor supported a school that stuck with you the most?
All of our Adopt-A-School sponsors have the option to sign a 3-year commitment, which means that they commit to adopting their school (or schools) for 3 school years. One of the sponsors that chose to do that was Alpha Residential. But that’s not the only thing that makes their AAS involvement special.
In addition to attending the distribution event at their adopted school, they’ve also invited students to take a field trip to their office to learn about their work. At this year’s distribution event, we took a pit stop in a middle school classroom to see the students who went on that field trip. Students remembered the staff from Alpha Residential, and vice versa.
It was nice to see how our program fosters community between schools and their sponsor. This is just one example from the dozens of sponsors who go the extra mile for their adopted school.
Now that the season is over, what are you looking forward to the most for next year?
This year, we expanded our survey population to include students and families for the first time ever. I am very excited to dig into the data that students and their families provide to us about the program and develop solutions to address their needs in the next program year.
What is the best way for a potential sponsor to get involved in our Adopt-A-School program?
We match sponsors with schools based on their preferred investment, location, grade levels, and engagement ability. Reaching out to me at Kendra@TheEducationPartnership.org is the easiest way to become involved in our program, or visit our Adopt-A-School website page to learn more!
Author: The TEP Team
