The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Educator Warehouse will open up for the 2024-25 school year next week, starting with their open house running from August 1-3.
The Educator Warehouse is a one-stop shop for WS/FCS teachers in need of additional school supplies for their classrooms. Teachers can register an account with the program online and set up an appointment to visit the warehouse once per nine weeks. While there, they receive 35 points (or 37 if they bring their own bag) that they can spend as they like on books, binders, pencils, glue sticks, posters, learning aids, and other classroom materials. The cost of school supplies can be prohibitive for many families, and teachers often have to make up the difference by paying out of pocket, so the Educator Warehouse is an essential resource for making sure no student has to do without important resources for financial reasons.
This will be the 14th year of operation for the Educator Warehouse, and volunteer Karel Chandler says that this year’s collection of supplies is shaping up to be even larger than last year’s. That’s due to generous support from both the district and a wide range of community partners, including Allen Tate Realtors, the Children’s Law Center of North Carolina, Hanesbrands, and Twin City Kiwanis Club. Accounting for in-kind donations, organizations like these put hundreds of thousands of dollars into supporting students and educators in the classroom each year. Their dedication is essential work in the district’s mission to make sure every scholar gets the most they possibly can out of their time in school.
“We never want to run out of supplies to give our teachers and students,” Chandler said. “Having consistent community support is very, very important.”
The Educator Warehouse is located in the pods at Diggs-Latham Elementary School. This year’s open house will begin on Thursday, August 1 with a session for new teachers from 3 pm to 8 pm. It will continue on Friday, August 2 from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturday, August 3 from 9 am to 3 pm. More sessions are available by appointment throughout the year on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, as well as on the first and third Saturday of each month from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.
To register for a visit, teachers can go online to https://teachersfreestore.com/winston/. For more information or to volunteer, call (336) 671-1078 or email educatorwarehouse@forsythedpartnership.org.