Curriculum Enhancements
Through this focus area, the Education Foundation provides support to teachers throughout their careers.
Curriculum Enhancements
Giving New Educators the Help They Need
First Time Teacher Grants
All first-time, first-year educators receive $200 grants from the Education Foundation to purchase supplies for their first classrooms. Educators often purchase these items out of their own pocket. These initial costs are often necessary for the classroom environment, and yet they are not typically covered by school budgets. Teachers have used the funds to purchase bulletin boards, posters, art supplies, organization kits, classroom sets of books, games and puzzles, flashcards, flexible seating options, and extra school supplies. During the fall of 2023, the Education Foundation awarded 80 grants to new staff, for a total of $16,000.
Curriculum Enhancements
Replenish the Room Grants
Helping Tenured Teachers Restock Their Classrooms
Education Foundation staff and volunteers held focus groups with teachers, and one of the recommendations from the listening sessions was that there be a grant program available to help educators offset the cost of classroom supplies, whether they are new teachers or tenured staff. Books get damaged, board game pieces go missing, and art supplies run low throughout the year. In the fall of 2024, the Education Foundation will launch its newest program—Replenish the Room Grants.
Curriculum Enhancements
Funding and Fueling Creativity in the Classroom
Public School Proud Grants
Any educator in the Sioux Falls School District can apply for up to $10,000 each year to purchase creative or inventive materials that will give students hands-on experiences. Teachers have used funds for drones, weather stations, musical instruments, social emotional learning tools, garden grow labs, 3D printers, books for English language learners, pickleball equipment, yoga mats, robotics kits, augmented and virtual reality software, health science simulation mannequins, photography equipment, and more. These curriculum supports are often used year after year. As a result, the number of students served through the program multiplies.
District administrators review grants to ensure they align with curriculum standards, are compatible with current technology, and meet specific engagement, enhancement, and innovation expectations. After the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation Board of Directors approves the individual grant requests, staff, volunteers, and donors surprise the winners at school. During the 2023-2024 school year, the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation awarded 60 Public School Proud Grants to 99 educators, totaling $119,000. The organization also surpassed $1 million in overall funding for this program in the spring of 2024.
"Educators know hands-on learning is one of the best ways for kids to study academic concepts, yet few of our lessons are accompanied by manipulatives that help students build connections and think critically. The activities and experiments provided through Public School Proud Grants have continued to increase student engagement and achievement. Additionally, students share what they are learning with their siblings, and younger children look forward to similar experiences as they enter my fifth-grade classroom! Public School Proud Grants have provided my students with multiple opportunities to engage in hands-on and immersive activities, and these materials have ultimately made learning fun!"
Lindsey Gray
Fifth Grade Teacher - All City Elementary