Target supports local programs that enhance curricula in reading, the arts and other enrichments. Here are just a few examples of how we’ve helped schools and children around the nation.
Third grade is a turning point where kids make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. That’s why Target funds Minnesota Reading Corps’ efforts to provide daily tutoring by Minneapolis AmeriCorps members in schools. This customized one-on-one time is an extra effort that gets students confidently reading by the end of third grade and on a path to graduation.
An early love of reading creates lifelong learners. So Target gave kids a place to discover the joy of books by funding a Target School Library Makeover at Aurora’s Park Lane Elementary School. Target volunteers rolled up their sleeves to make it happen, providing a technology lab with updated computers, 2,000 new books, flower gardens and a huge United States map painted on the playground—all so kids can dream even bigger than before.
In a time of tough budget choices, Target wants to make sure kids have access to art and artists. So in partnership with the Miami Art Museum, Target funded the MAM & Schools program, which uses the museum’s collection to teach 11,500 students a year about the arts. Target also provides transportation for Miami kindergarteners and third-graders to participate in the Cultural Passport Program, connecting children with key arts experiences—and a new source of inspiration.
You can’t fill a brain on an empty stomach. So Target partners with The Food Bank for New York City to offer schools free food through the Meals for Minds Food Shelf. One school is William C. Hughley Elementary School in Queens, New York, where Target ensures that up to 250 low-income children and their families receive free food twice a month. The program also provides nutrition information and recipes, so every school day starts with a smart meal.
At-risk kids need help building writing and literacy skills, as well as self-esteem and confidence. That’s why Target sponsors kids from 33 schools across Los Angeles, California, to be a part of the Young Author’s Book Club—teaching kids how to write their life story in book form. Led by notable authors F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada, the program gives kids a chance to grow, learn and take charge of their own life stories.
Before kids can think of themselves as learners, they have to think of themselves as readers. Target partners with the Houston Independent School District to sponsor Houston School Book Nooks—creating special reading areas in elementary classrooms, with a focus on schools serving homeless shelters. By adding new shelves, beanbag chairs and 38,500 books, Target is helping to write a new chapter in hundreds of children’s lives.
Military kids face unique challenges: a childhood of relocation, a parent deployed overseas, a lack of connection at school. Target joined forces with a national veterans’ organization, The Mission Continues, to create a Target School Library Makeover for students at Fort Meade’s Manor View Elementary. The team revitalized a key learning space—filling it with furniture, 2,000 books and new learning technology.
The arts teach imagination, inspiration and the problem-solving skills of a lifelong learner—all crucial elements to helping children succeed. So, Target funds the Honolulu Academy of Arts Art to Go program, ensuring that more than 6,000 students receive hands-on experiences in the arts: learning to draw, paint and sculpt, building important thinking skills, and promoting pride in Hawaiian heritage along the way.
Every child needs basic school supplies to learn. So, Target supports Kids In Need Foundation, offering teachers free monthly school supply stock-ups. Volunteers from the local Atlanta Target stores also awarded an additional $5,000 in Target GiftCards® to let teachers pick up even more essentials—including a brighter outlook for every student in their classrooms.
learn more about our commitment to education and ways you can get involved.
Get more details about these programs on our corporate site
