Teachers love raising funds through ClassroomsCount™ because it means they can grow their classroom libraries or gift students books without having to pay out of their own pockets. There’s no better way to get the resources you need to help your students thrive!  

Fifth grade co-teachers, Jennifer Hunter and Jenna Alesiani, are two inspirational educators who have successfully raised hundreds of dollars through several ClassroomsCount™ campaigns. Here’s what they’ve learned about maximizing the impact of the money raised and making their funds go further:  

Get more bang for your buck with box sets and series. 

“Last year we had many students who wanted to read the The Baby-Sitters Club and I Survived series,.” Jennifer recalled. Their campaign donations allowed Jennifer and Jenna to purchase the entire set of both series for their fifth graders, which meant several students could enjoy the series at the same time. “The students were jumping for joy once the book box arrived,” Jenna added. “The joy and excitement on their faces after selecting books for our class library warms our hearts."

Keep students engaged across the year.

Jennifer and Jenna have a creative way to keep students interested in reading new books throughout the school year. "The students receive the Scholastic Book Club flyers and select a book of their choice for $5 or less,” Jenna tells us. “We then select four students a month through a raffle and the kids win or earn the book of their choice." The class then celebrates the raffle winners by posting their pictures on the digital classroom platform. 

Spread out the new books.  

Limiting the raffle selections allows Jennifer and Jenna to stretch the funds and make sure that each student receives a book of their choice (usually twice a year, sometimes more). “This helps keep the excitement level high for reading and selecting books,” Jenna said.  

Keep your classroom library fresh with multiple campaigns. 

By running multiple campaigns over time, Jennifer and Jenna are able to use their funds to add new titles to their library on a regular basis. “Our class library has over 1,000 titles currently,” Jennifer told us. Every book is scanned into an online database and the students check out books just as they would in a real library.  

Empower students by giving them choice.

Students are more likely to enjoy reading when it’s a book of their own choice. Jennifer and Jenna ask the students what books they’re interested in and use the funds accordingly. Jenna said, “Whether it is a book that they can keep and treasure or a new book to check out of our class library, having a book of your choice on your reading level is extremely important and allows for the reading experience to be special.”

Start your own ClassroomsCount™ campaign today in just three simple steps! It's free and simple. Even better? Every penny you raise is yours to spend at any time with no hidden fees. This means that even if you don’t hit your goal, or you want to spend your funds before your campaign ends, you can do so. Once you’ve created your campaign, share it with your community and show how you’d use your funds to harness a lifelong love of learning in your students. 

Campaign funds can be redeemed across Scholastic at The Teacher Store, The Scholastic Store, Scholastic Book Clubs, Scholastic Magazines+, and participating Scholastic Book Fairs.