“Thank you for the math materials. I think it was really generous of you to lend us some money. The ‘Math in Minutes’ are coming in handy already. The math equations are challenging, but I like challenging.” –Savannah, Third Grade Student, Santa Teresa Elementary

PVF’s Mathematics Resource Grant program is open to infant, toddler, and preschool teachers in programs serving low-income families and TK-3^rd grade public school teachers in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, the program provides grants of up to $500 for math books, materials, software, manipulatives, etc.

We were able to give out 119 grants through the Math Resource Grant program during the 2016-2017 school year. Teachers report that these small immediate response grants have had a great impact in their classrooms:

“The supplies that we purchased with this math grant have helped my children learn how to count, sort, compare, measure and graph. The children are enjoying playing with the different activities as they are learning about math. Most of the children do not even know that they are learning math because they are just having fun playing and exploring the math activities. The children are now exploring and wanting to be in the math area more. There is always at least one child at the math center, if not five.” –Lisa Stenger, Preschool Teacher, Hillside Child Development Center

“Our students in Kindergarten and first grade are learning so much about place value, addition, subtraction, counting, composing, and comparing numbers by using the rekenreks, dominoes, dice, addition boards, counting kids, and magnetic base ten set.  Students are using the hands-on materials… to build their understanding and master skills in math—all in a fun and playful way that is developmentally appropriate for the primary years.  They are learning and loving math.” –Suzy Kosh, Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten Teacher, Bayshore Elementary School

“With your generosity I was able to purchase math games and manipulatives for my classroom, and am able to share them with the other two second grade classrooms to ensure all 75 children get to experience fun, educational math games to enrich our curriculum…. I knew that with more math games and manipulatives I could show children that they could learn and have fun at the same time.” –Candace Temer, Second Grade Teacher, Central Elementary School

“Thank you so much for the generous grant for my Lego wall.  I am the talk of my wing!  Not only does my class love it but the other Kindergarten class uses it and I teach an after school Lego Building class (with students grades K-4) who enjoys it as well.  I had a number of families offer to help put it up, which tells you how much interest there was in this project…. The children have been experimenting with how to attach certain uncommon pieces to the wall.  Because it is vertical, rather than the horizontal orientation they are accustomed to with Legos, they need to use creative thinking to problem solve.” –Jennifer Mitchell, Kindergarten Teacher, Ocean Shore School

“An untrained eye might see the activity in my room as play, but by listening in you will hear students talking about math, explaining their thinking and sharing new ideas. My hope is this developmentally appropriate work will lead to a lifelong desire to learn.” –Sue Gresch, Transitional Kindergarten Teacher, Carolyn Clark School

Thanks to the Heising-Simons Foundation, we are able to get critical math materials into public school classrooms, like the ones mentioned above, that often struggle with limited resources.