.png)
​
​
​
​
Dear Community,
Our most vulnerable students need your help to get a strong start in a school year unlike any other.
Following the announcement that the Redwood City School District (RCSD) will begin this school year with 100 percent distance learning, the Redwood City Education Foundation (RCEF) sprang into action. RCEF is launching a back-to-school campaign to provide our most vulnerable students with the tools and support they need to learn from home effectively.
To support urgent student needs during distance learning, RCEF must raise $250,000 by August 19 to provide:
-
Mental Health Counseling
-
WiFi Access
-
Distance Learning Tools
The 1,700 K-8th graders attending Hoover, Garfield and Taft will benefit from this campaign. 90% of students at these schools are low-income, and 68% are English language learners. Without community support, they are at risk of falling behind in school during distance learning.
Each intervention addresses a basic barrier to distance learning. We must not allow any child to be left behind under the new distance learning model.
Will you donate today and help all students in our community get support during this crisis?
​
What you can make possible
Mental Health Counseling
Hoover and Taft schools will each receive 10 weekly hours of 1:1 and small group mental health counseling for students. This expands upon RCEF’s current program that funds 30 weekly hours of counseling at Garfield.
WiFi Access
Every student in Redwood City and North Fair Oaks will have access to the internet in order to access distance learning and remote mental health counseling. Funds will support expanding broadband access to Bayside communities.
Distance Learning Tools
Every student at Hoover, Garfield, and Taft will receive a toolkit including noise-canceling headphones and basic school supplies like pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, etc. RCEF will purchase, assemble, and distribute the toolkits.
P.S. Please check with your employer about matching your donation.
​
​
​
FAQ: Back-To-School Campaign
(as of July 29, 2020)
​
Will families still be able to access rental assistance and food support?
Yes, families can still apply for rental assistance through the Fair Oaks Community Center.
How did RCEF identify these needs?
We worked closely with the District to identify distance learning needs, and existing initiatives to meet those needs. These priorities were chosen because they are vital for student success.
Can I restrict my gift to go towards a specific priority?
No, donations are unrestricted. Given the uncertain nature of this year we must have flexibility to provide more or less of the items of above depending on what our students need. However every donation will support one of the items listed above.
Why not fund other student needs such as academic support and childcare?
Childcare is a major priority that will require collaboration across multiple public and private entities. It will be an expensive and complex problem to solve, and government support for this is in flux. RCEF advocates for increased and subsidized childcare.
We did not adopt tutoring or small-group learning as a priority, because other entities with academic support expertise are already working on solutions.
Does RCEF have volunteer needs at this time?
We will need volunteer support to assemble the distance learning kits for students, and we will also need support in delivering the distance learning kits as well. Once these items are purchased, we will put out a call for volunteer support.
Do students have the hardware, like Chomebooks and iPads, they need to learn from home?
The District and other partners including RCEF and Google have purchased these items. Every student in the district that needs one will have either an iPad or Chromebook for distance learning.
Is RCEF using funds to cover administrative costs?
Yes, consistent with industry best practices, RCEF will collect a modest 15% administrative fee to cover the cost of staff time to fundraise and to research, evaluate, and coordinate programs.
​
​
​
​
​
