Think Ahead to Back-to-School: Help Prepare Miami Students for Success
Summer is in full swing, and parents and kids alike are looking forward to trips to the beach, camps, vacations and time with friends and family. However, school starts for Miami students in mid-August, so it is already time to start setting students up for success in the new school year.
The weeks leading up to August are some of the most important months for ensuring students have the tools, confidence, and support they need to succeed. For families facing financial challenges, the cost of school supplies, uniforms, backpacks, technology, and other essentials can create significant stress.
According to the United Way, almost half the children attending U.S. public schools come from low-income families. In Miami-Dade schools, that number is at about 40 percent of students, according to US News and World Report. Many children lack access to essential school supplies. According to the United Way, “This hinders a child's academic performance, but also impacts their self-esteem and drives up absenteeism.”
Help Collect Supplies for Back-to-School
There are many ways to help students in South Florida prepare to be back in the classroom. Multiple organizations are hosting school supply drives and backpack stuffing events. These events are an easy way for kids to get involved in giving back to their community.
Every summer, Miami’s Family Resource Center (FRC) provides backpacks full of school supplies for the upcoming school year to their school-aged children in foster care. This year, FRC is putting together almost 300 backpacks, and they need your help to pack them. They are hosting a backpack packing event on July 11. Can’t make it that day? Donate to their wishlist all year long!
Branches provides life-changing opportunities to hardworking families and their children to help them break the cycle of generational poverty. Its mission is to serve, educate, and inspire people through student, family, and financial wellness services in partnership with our communities. Branches is collecting school supplies to help 500 students begin the 2026-2027 school year ready to learn. Kids can help pick out supplies for fellow students and know they have helped launch a successful school year for another child.
Participate in a Back-to-School Kindness Challenge
Looking for another, non-financial way to get the school year off to a great start? Try Doing Good Together’s 30-Day Back to School Challenge! The back-to-school season is a great time to re-orient ourselves to our priorities. Everyone has a role to play in supporting educational success. Whether through volunteering, donating, mentoring, or advocating for resources, every effort helps create opportunities for students to learn, grow, and succeed. Together, families and communities can make this a big-hearted school year, full of compassion, reflection, and thoughtful acts of kindness.
Doing Good Together’s Miami Kindness Project content is FREE thanks to the generous support of the Al and Jane Nahmad Foundation.