Our organization is centered on the belief that educating children from low income families is one of the best tools available for ending the cycle of poverty, and that community collaboration is invaluable to serving those in need within Tarrant County. Celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, Back to School Roundup is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing underserved schoolchildren and their families with school supplies and other “back to school essentials” necessary to return to school ready, and equipped, for a successful academic year.
We recognize that poverty negatively impacts education outcomes. Recent studies show that there are 30 million children growing up in poverty in the United States. Students raised in low-income families are at higher risk for academic and social problems. They have higher absenteeism due to various circumstances that come from being poor. These students are 3 times more likely to have developmental delays and can end up as much as 3 years behind grade level.
While there are a number of reasons children in poverty are not performing well in school, one common explanation is they do not have the supplies they need to learn. They simply cannot complete their assignments if they lack basic supplies.
In addition to helping students, distributing free supplies benefits the teachers. Teachers purchase hundreds of dollars in supplies for their classrooms every year. By supporting the students of Tarrant County, we are, in essence, supporting the educators of Tarrant County as well.
