Help Crack The Elementary School Education Crisis

I just found out some stratling facts

Over half the kids in America in Elementary school can not read proficiently!

In Philadelphia in the 153 lowest performing elementary schools the Average proficiency

Math 10.5% Reading 23% this represents over 90,000 kids mostly minority and living in Poverty

The top 25% of the kids in India is greater than the entire population of the United States

We are declaring an economic, academic and social crisis.

We will spend more money on putting these kids in prisons than we will in solving this problem

The 16,000 low cost refurbished computer we have distribute are helping over 75.000 kids throughout our region and beyond. 

With your continured support ,we can exapnd our high touch and hight tech apporach to making a difference.

Links:

• Our new program
• Our temporary website

• Letter of appreciation local District Attorney (PDF)
  
• Letter from recipient (PDF)
  
• Helping over 50 immigrant families (PDF)
  

This Tuesday thousands of nonprofits will be raising millions of dollars to help fund their effort to make a difference we hope our over 42 years of working with babies and children will inspire you to contribute.

Teamchildren actually began with a commitment of Dr. Rolf to demonstrate, document and promote the benefits of Rolfing for babies and children. Since then I have worked with over 300 whole families as early as day one and as deep as four generation.

20+ years ago we added our digital inclusion project and we have distributed over 15,000 low cost refurbished computer helping over 75,000 kids cross the digital divide

Thousands of people have contributed over 100,000 hours of community service.

With our new book Hands on Parenting a Practical guide to massage for happier, healthier, smarted kids will help us expand worldwide. 

Your contribution will help us reach children you may never meet but their live will never be the same because of you contribution 

From high tech to high touch we are making a worldwide difference for babies and children throughout the world.

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Thanks for your support please tell your friends.and help us spread the word. 

Robert Toporek

President/Founder

From the moment a child is conceived their brain is growing at a faster rate until the age of 5-6 than at any time in their lives. One of the hindrances of early childhood education for many low income children is stress. 

Persistent stress actually causes brain damage and can greatly affect behavior and the ability to learn. 

In addition many low-income children begin school with a 75% vocabulary deficit.

In Philadelphia there are approximately 400 elementary schools where over 75% or the kids in the 3rd grade can not read write or do math proficiently. 

Through the distribution of over 15,000 computers reaching more than 75,000  kids we are making a difference one computer at a time

In a few weeks we will be launching my new book and Program Hands on Parenting a practical guide to massage for happier healthier smarter kids.

We are working on raising $10,000 to publish and promote this new breakthrough technology as well as expand our present efforts. 

Wawa recently donated another 50+ laptops and SEI donated another 22 laptops

We have been working with a number of young adults in the Asperger syndrome giving them the opportunity to expand their experience working with technology, improving their socialization skills and job experiences. Two of them are also benefiting from our Rolfing program (www.rolfingtoporek.com)

Our tech for vets and first responders program is also progressing slowly but surely. We have partenerd with the Back to school for veterans program at Penn helping them with the reimaging of their computers.

Feel free to help us find 

More money $$$

More volunteers$$ (especially administrative, fund raising, marketing)

More laptops

an assistant technology director (and the money to pay them)

PS my article on Rolfing babies,children and families was just published in an international journal

• Rolfing, babies, families and children (PDF)
  

 Imagine running a large non profit organization with teens and young people. Every summer that is just what we do at TeamChildren.

“An old adage says: If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. And that’s true for school-aged children,” said Chelsey Byers.

Learning loss during summer vacation is nothing new. Teachers and researchers alike have reported that children suffer a setback following the long summer break. Reading comprehension and fluency can take a hit if the kids are not reading during the summer. But the most affected area may be math, she said.

"Kids can lose up to two and a half months’ worth of math skills when those skills are not used,” she said.

Research shows that the achievement gap often widens during the summer. But enrichment programs and life experiences can combat loss and even increase children’s skill levels before heading back to school, she said.

Year after year, these losses can really add up for a child, Byers said.

http://hdfs.illinois.edu/stop-summer-brain-drain-it-starts

 Every summer at www.teamchyildren.org we provide teens and young people the opportunity to not only stop the summer brain drain, but dramatically improve their knowledge of technology and making a difference for themselves and for others as well.

While they could be home playing video games, sitting by the pool, or just wasting away doing nothing, they come to our technology center to refurbish computer for less fortunate kids.

They also learn critical job skills like answering the phone, great customer service, communication, goal setting, and teamwork to mention a few. They also learn how to clean the bathrooms and take out the trash as impeccably as they fix a computer. 

This summer we are helping hundred of kids and their families gain access to technology they only once dreamed of having.

Contributions of money, equipment, and expertise is what make us keep ticking.

Over the past 15 + years we have now distributed over 15,000, low cost high quality refurbished computers to families schools and organizations throughout our region and beyond.

Now our recipients are able to keep their minds sharp all summer with our amazing leaning software. Kids are entering school ready to learn wit our early learning math, reading music and encylopedic software. Families are finding badly need social services, applying for scholarships and college, filling out job applications and much more in the comfort and safety of their homes.

Links:

• Teamchildren Kyw news radio

• One of the many children we have helped (PDF)
  

My new commitment is to dramatically raise the awareness  that there is a strong correlation between what technology can provide a child and how the lack of technology in the home contributes to the widening academic and economic gap in our country and how our efforts are turning the tide.

Recently a disabled Iraq Veteran received a computer for $85.00 loaded with over $500 worth of educational software. 

His wife and two step children came with him and as we showed them the programs their eyes lit up. 

His five year old learned how to read 10 words in five minutes; they loved the music, math and expanded learning aspect of the programs.

Next week we will be helping a local day care center receive 10 desktops for $100.00 each.

Recently we distributed 30 computers to Elkins Elementary in Philadelphia for a new learning lab

Western Digital just donated 100 laptop hard drives and 50 desktop hard drives.

We are also now ready to launching our Tech for Vets Initiative..

Home Depot just donate $1000, worth of tool boxes

And the beat goes on...

Soon teens from local high schools will be volunteering and then our summer program begins..

Our goal immediately is to raise $200,000 to fully fund our expansion.

We need to have 1000 more laptops and desktops donated.

Local restaurants continue donating food on Wednesdays