60,000 students in Pittsburgh and the surrounding regions don’t have the supplies they need to learn at school.

For families struggling to keep food on the table, notebooks and pencils don’t always make the shopping list. Yet basic supplies like these are precisely the tools students need to participate in the classroom, complete homework, and feel like valued, capable members of their learning community.

While school districts allocate less and less of their budgets for school supplies each year, the financial responsibility of supporting students from low-income families often falls on teachers. A 2018 study by the National Center for Education Statistics confirmed what we could’ve guessed – the overwhelming majority of teachers are using their personal salaries to provide for students who come to school without the supplies they need.

In and around Pittsburgh, some 30% of students aren’t learning to their fullest potential because they don’t have basic school supplies. Without fundamental learning tools, education becomes inaccessible for many.

That’s where The Education Project comes in. Their solution is simple: school supplies for a #brighterfuture. And since their inception in 2009, we’ve seen tremendous progress.

In 2018 alone, TEP will distribute over $4 million in supplies to approximately 42,000 students and 4,000 teachers among 100 schools throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. The results? A reported 73% increase in classroom participation, 71% increase in project completion, 68% increase in student morale, and 45% increase in attendance and on-time arrivals from the schools involved.

This month, BrightTree Studios is honored to share in this tremendous endeavor. Through the month of August, our office will be competing with Synergy Media Group to collect school supplies and raise funds for TEP. Check out our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn or follow the hashtags #Ed4Everyone and #brighterfuture for updates on our back-to-school drive!

For more information on TEP’s mission and impact, or to donate to their cause, you can visit their website.