Connecting Businesses, Foundations and Individuals in financial support of OnePercent for Education accredited nonprofits

The need for improvement in our educational system as well as the supports that we offer our students is glaringly apparent. American students are falling behind their international counterparts in math, reading and science and this is trending worse over time. Contributing to this decline is that our children may not show up at school ready to learn.

Adult lives seem to be much more complicated in today’s world. Despite the advent of high tech solutions, our lives are often less manageable than we would prefer. The same is true for our children, perhaps even more so. Kids today are often subject to levels of stress that impact their ability to learn in the classroom as well as successfully function outside of it. Whether in the inner city or the small rural community, many our children are suffering from stress so prolonged that it creates a catastrophic effect on their minds and bodies.

This disturbance, often called toxic stress is particularly detrimental for children. Studies show that suffering from toxic stress during childhood can put our kids at a higher risk for problems in their adult years, including:

• Increased risk of heart disease & asthma.
• Higher risk of substance abuse.
• Increased chance of long-term mental health conditions, including anxiety disorder and depression.
• increased risk taking, impulsivity, substance abuse, and criminal activity

Caring adults play an important role in counteracting toxic stress. Teachers are not the only ones who can attend to children in compassionate and nurturing ways. Nor are they enough. Parents can be taught about the importance of brain development and learn how to interact with their young children to decrease toxic stress. Others charged with the care of children can assist. For example, early childhood educational centers provide safe, stable environments and offer supportive services that help with the effects of toxic stress.

These support services and others are often provided by our nonprofit community that cares deeply about the well-being and educational achievement of all of our kids. OnePercent for Education’s purpose is to engage donors to support organizations that can assist more children and their families by providing greater financial resources. We need to dramatically improve our educational outcomes – and we can!