Back to School Supply Drive

Youth in foster care face significant challenges that reduce their academic opportunities and make it more challenging to achieve success. Insecure housing, switching schools, weak community supports, and compounding challenges widen the opportunity and achievement gaps for these young people, creating real differences in outcomes:

• 25% of NYC students in foster care who started high school in 2015 graduated in 4-years (an improvement from 2008 when 15% of youth graduated, but still below the 77% rate for the general population)
• 43% of NYC students in foster care above the age of 16 miss more than half the school year
• More than 1 in 5 NYC students in foster care repeat a grade (compared with 1 in 13 for general population)
• Roughly 40% of NYC foster students have a disability
• Less than 3% of NYC students in foster care graduate from a 4-year college

The thousands of young people in care attending NYC schools must overcome high hurdles to thrive, but these challenges are far from insurmountable.

 By donating school supplies, you can strengthen our community by helping kids have a fresh start this fall with the tools they need to succeed.

You will be emailed a tax receipt at the time of purchase. At the end of the drive all goods ordered online will be shipped directly to The New York Foundling to be distributed to kids in need. Plus 5% of the retail value of items will be gifted back to The Foundling.