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Back-to-school season can be exciting—new binders, pens, and outfits, finding out who your teachers are and making goals for the year.
But for some, it can be a little uncertain. As rising costs continue to impact households, many families are having to make difficult choices between essential expenses and school supplies for their children, while schools and teachers are working with limited resources to prepare for the year ahead.
Fortunately, United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) knows local community needs and steps in to help. After we heard about their partnership with Fairfield City Schools, we dove in to learn about more of their back-to-school initiatives throughout the greater Birmingham area and gathered some ways we can all pitch in to help.
How you can help right now
How local communities get food, clothing + educational support
In the spring of 2019, Fairfield City Schools started working with UWCA on a mental health project.
“United Way pushed for each district to have a mental health coordinator. The legislature ended up funding that project, and now every school district has a mental health coordinator. The partnership blossomed from there and formed a relationship from that project.”
Dr. Regina Thompson, Superintendent, Fairfield City Schools
The program was so successful that it has since expanded to address other student needs—other initiatives like:
- School-based food pantries: Fairfield communities identify food needs, and UWCA coordinators get it to the schools for families to access.
- Mentoring + tutoring with Miles College: Students are paired with Miles College students for mentorship + academic support
- Alabama Power entrepreneur mentorship program: Students are assigned to employees + meet with them to learn about career opportunities in that field
- Peer Helpers: Kids learn how to work with one another to resolve conflict.
- Manufacturing course: Students learn different manufacturing components like construction + robotics.
Back-to-school initiatives prepare students for a successful year
While the partnership between UWCA and Fairfield City Schools impacts students throughout the year (and hopefully, long past graduation), it’s only a small part of the nonprofit’s reach in Birmingham and beyond.
This starts with efforts during the summer to prepare schools for welcoming kids back so they feel confident, ready and eager to learn.
Here’s how they do that:
School beautification projects
Each summer, United Way Hands On partners with schools across Central Alabama to host beautification projects that create cleaner, more welcoming learning environments. These volunteer events help ensure that students start the school year feeling proud of the space where they learn and grow.
Backpack drives
For too many students (every 2 out of 3 children, according to UWCA), the first day of school starts without the basic tools they need to thrive. By serving or donating toward UWCA’s backpack drives, you help create learning environments for students to feel prepared and confident.
The fastest way to help is through a financial donation. You can donate here. You can also shop the wishlist of items to ship directly to local students.
Youth programs offer educational support for Central Alabama kids
UWCA’s academic and career support programs include everything from mentorship sessions to behavioral health services. Last year, 83,138 youth participated in programs like:
- Behavioral health + counseling
- Career coaching
- Mentorship programs
- Life skills development
- STEM programs
- Youth empowerment initiatives
But the impact extends beyond this and into:
- After-school programs exploring the arts, sports + educational activities
- Day camps with educational + recreational activities during the summer
- Tutoring + academic support
According to UWCA, access to early-learning facilities is crucial due to the long-lasting impact it can have on children’s educational achievement as they age. Knowing this, the nonprofit implemented programs to build up younger students like:
- EXCEL: Helps childcare providers increase their capacity + offer high-quality early learning programs
- Success By 6: Gives teachers professional development training and provides free school supplies to thousands of children
- Help Me Grow: Free resource that conducts developmental screenings for children ages 0-8
The impact of back-to-school initiatives in Birmingham
The success of UWCA’s programming and everything that stems from its partnerships is a testament to the impact made when people work together.
“We had a luncheon to embark on the goals of the district, and we let our community engage in that.
We highlighted some things that the state required, and thought, ‘How do we all get them on the same page?’ But when it came together, they came up with five synchronized goals. It was like they all knew what they wanted to do, and it came into one focus and one vision.
We always ask: ‘How do we better engage the community in understanding the needs of our students?’ and I think this has been the best way to do it.”
Dr. Regina Thompson, Superintendent, Fairfield City Schools
Take it from Dr. Thompson and the people within Fairfield City Schools: Preparing Birmingham-area students for school is more than shopping for school supplies and new clothes—it’s an intentional dedication to improving the lives of students and their families far beyond the school year.
Find more ways to serve with United Way of Central Alabama this back-to-school season!
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