For many of us, back to school means school supplies, new outfits, and the hustle and bustle of fall activities. There’s an energy and excitement in the air as a new year begins. However, if a family is experiencing homelessness, “back to school” can only exacerbate the feelings of instability and concern they have every day. Fall school days highlight all of the ways the family feels different from everybody else’s.

Atlanta Mission seeks to care for each person who enters our doors as a whole person—ministering to body and soul. This includes the children who join our care with their families. We believe in strong families, and that commitment means we care about even the most seemingly mundane of concerns. School supplies, school uniforms, and healthy lunches all play an important role in helping a child feel loved in a time of uncertainty, and our supportive community empowers them to head off to school with confidence.

Consider these two things kids experiencing homelessness need as school begins. How might you help launch a child into a great next school year?

1. Supplies. While many schools provide pencils and paper to students experiencing homelessness, all children inevitably need something new to wear as the school year begins. Whether they’ve changed schools or grown an extra few inches in the summer, children starting back to class appreciate a crisp new shirt or a clean new pair of sneakers for gym class. Ordinary items like shampoo and conditioner assure children that they’ll be clean and ready to go when school begins. 

Atlanta Mission is committed to making sure each of the children in our care receives the clothing and supplies he needs to confidently head back to school. Want to help? Our Amazon wish list includes school uniform and health care items that will help our kids put their best foot forward and step into the new year.

2. Support. The CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study offers some of the most significant understanding we have about kids who experience difficulties growing up. One of the most important discoveries in the ACE study was the finding that one stable adult in a child’s life could hold important consequences for that child’s long-term well-being. A committed, caring adult could make a real difference in the trajectory of a child’s life for good.
   
   At Atlanta Mission, we agree wholeheartedly! That’s why we offer a variety of ways the volunteers can engage with the children in our care, providing them with friendship and loving relationships that will support their development and healing. From reading to a child after school to assisting with our daycare facilities, volunteers can support children from the earliest stages of their growth, offering them the kind of care that will really make a difference. Check out these ways you can offer a school child support as she head into the classroom again this year.