Classroom Wishlist - Ways to Help Back-to-School Kids

So much money is spent during the back-to-school season. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, $6.0 billion was spent in 2004 on back-to-school clothing, and $2.0 billion were spent at bookstores on back-to-school supplies. The only time during the average year when spending is higher is during the holiday shopping rush.

It is a lot of money. But it's not enough to help more than 1/4 of the U.S. population - which is how many kids are enrolled in school throughout the country.

Whether you're a parent or not, we all need to help our schools succeed. We depend on the future, and the future is in the hands of the children growing up right under our noses. Offered here are 5 charities that are in serious need of help from people like you and I.

Classroom Wishlist

Did you know that the average teacher spends $400-$500 out of their own pocket each year to purchase classroom supplies? This is a great little website that has tons of potential to boost the teachers' potential ... if they can get people involved.

The way that Classroom Wishlist works is like a bridal or baby registry. Teachers sign up on the website and create a list of the school supplies they're most in need of. Parents, grandparents, and anyone else wanting to make a difference sign up as well, and can browse the wishlists on the site. They choose which supplies they'd like to provide, donate the amount needed for those supplies, and Classroom Wishlist gets the supplies to the teacher.

For parents of back-to-school children, there's also an option to purchase all your kids' school supplies from the website. 10% of the purchase is donated to the Parent Teacher Organization of your child's school, and 5% becomes available to fulfill the classroom wishlist of your child's teacher - and shipping is free.

100% of the money donated to Classroom Wishlist for supplies are used for just for classroom supplies. Period. And all the donations you make to the website are tax deductible.

iLoveSchools

iLoveSchools.com works much like Classroom Wishlist, except that donors can actually make donations of new or gently used items instead of having a monetary donation be their only option.

Basically, this website works as a matchmaking service that pairs up a donor and a teacher, which all goes towards buing classroom materials for America's children. You can choose to find a teacher to donate to, start a classroom friend group, or allow the site to find a school for you that should receive your contribution directly.

There are also volunteer opportunities available through iLoveSchools. Just click their Volunteers link and hit Overview (but don't try it in Firefox ... it tends to time out.

Adopt a Classroom

The ways in which you can get involved with this organization are numerous. It goes beyond simple donations; through Adopt-a-Classroom, you actually become a partner with the teacher, providing financial and moral support. Using the locator map feature right in the site, you can find an underserved classroom right in your area that lets you experience the impact of your efforts and really celebrate in the success of the classroom you've adopted.

If you'd like to go beyond supporting a teacher and student, you can also launch a local program to coordinate receiving help in your area's schools. And you don't have to be anything special to do this - just a concerned individual looking out for the future of our kids.