Help kids get ready for school

Going back to school can be an exciting time for children and teens, but many families can't afford uniforms, backpacks and school supplies, making this a stressful time of year.

You can help children start the school year well-equipped and ready to learn by donating the following items:

• Gift cards for school uniforms (Walmart, Target)
• Small backpacks for pre-school through third grade
• Large backpacks for fourth grade through high school
• Pocket folders, binders, spiral bound notebooks, lined and unlined paper
• Pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers
• Markers, colored pencils,crayons, glue sticks, kid-friendly scissors
• Index cards, rulers, calculators

• All Hartford public schools require school uniforms.
• Shirts and pants cost $15–20 each, a financial hardship for many families.
• Hartford’s child poverty rate is 44.5%—the highest in the state.