Menu
Removing Barriers So Every Child Is Ready To Learn
The Foundation began with one generous donation and one solitary vision: to provide for the unmet basic needs of students attending Vancouver Public Schools. We see “basic” as what students need to come to school healthy, happy and ready to learn. A bed. Glasses. Dental care and hygiene items. School supplies. Shoes and clothing, to name a few.
As needs increase in our community, our work in basic needs has grown to include a Basic Needs Fund at each of our 40 schools.
Approximately half of our annual budget goes toward basic needs, including:
To learn more about the impact we made around basic needs in 2023-24 school year year, click here.
The Foundation provides an annual budget for every principal and/or Family Resource Coordinator serving each of our 39 schools to quickly and confidentially help students in need. This program allows school staff to focus on individual student needs ranging from personal hygiene items to class or activity fees, bus passes, medical needs, senior year expenses and more.
District Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRC) support connections between families and school communities. FCRCs are a place where students and families can access a range of information and support including assistance with basic needs, connections to social services, and access to opportunities that alleviate stress, enrich learning, and promote family stability. Funds from the Foundation for VPS allow FCRC staff including 24 coordinators located in our highest needs schools and two mobile coordinators to get children to school healthy, happy, and ready to learn.
October 25, 2015, The Columbian – Vancouver schools takes lead in helping needy pupils
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Foundation supports all of the district’s onsite Family-Community Resource Centers and two mobile FCRCs.
Click HERE to view contact information for your school.
Since starting a Housing Stability Fund in 2017, the Foundation for VPS has helped hundreds of VPS students and their families, who were at risk of eviction, keep their housing. By partnering with the Council for the Homeless, the investment to keep a family housed can be as little as $100 per student. During the last school year, we were able to support 221 families in keeping their housing, impacting 493 children.
Can you imagine going to school or trying to concentrate in class with an active medical problem or dental pain? That’s why the Foundation provides funding for medical and dental care for students without health insurance. We work closely with local clinics like the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington as well as traditional health care providers to offer low-cost services to students from low-income or uninsured families.
Hundreds of our children have trouble learning due to hearing and vision problems. What if you couldn’t see the board or read a book or hear your teacher? Thanks to our donors, the Foundation is able to offer vision and audiology services such as eye exams, frames & lenses, hearing tests and hearing aids for students in need.
Related stories...
Other Areas of Impact
When the community comes together, students succeed and thrive. Imagine what is possible when students come to school healthy, happy, and ready to learn! Donations provide food, housing assistance, medical care, transportation, clothing, schools supplies, personal hygiene items, family engagement – and much more.
PO Box 6039
Vancouver, WA 98668
360.313.4730
foundationvanps@vansd.org
Getting kids to school healthy, happy and ready to learn!Trust is at the heart of our service. Click here to view our privacy policy and learn how we manage personal information.
The Foundation for VPS has been granted non-profit status under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Federal ID #91-0971800. Click here for most recent 990.
"*" indicates required fields
