Dear Springboard to Opportunities Partners,
For many families, summer is already a difficult season. Kids are home, groceries stretch thinner, and parents are doing everything they can to keep their children fed, safe, and engaged. But when school starts, the pressure does not disappear—it simply takes a different form. Backpacks, uniforms, school supplies, field trips, sports fees and the many other costs of returning to the classroom can quickly strain an already tight household budget.
That strain is especially acute for mothers, who often carry an outsized share of their families’ financial and caregiving responsibilities in an economy where the cost of everyday necessities continues to rise and an already frayed safety net is being further eroded by the federal government. Too often, women are blamed for not “doing enough” when the real problem is a system that expects them to absorb every new expense, every unexpected emergency and every gap in support on their own.
Instead of judging mothers for the choices they make under impossible circumstances, we should be asking why so many families are forced to choose between basic needs in the first place. Why should a child’s ability to participate fully in school depend on whether their family can take on one more expense? Why are the people doing the most to hold families together so often left to carry the greatest financial risk?
At Springboard to Opportunities, we are proud to help families meet the immediate needs that come with a new school year—from backpacks and uniforms to the many expenses that can make this season difficult. But our work is grounded in a larger understanding: families do not need support only when school starts. They need systems that recognize their full humanity, respond to the realities they face, and provide the resources and opportunities that allow them to thrive all year long.
Back-to-school season should be a moment of support and possibility—not another reminder of scarcity. Children need more than pencils and notebooks. They need stability, nourishment and meaningful opportunities to learn and grow. When those supports are missing, the burden falls hardest on mothers—especially in the communities Springboard serves, where many mothers are raising children and holding their households together on their own.
Supporting families during back-to-school season is not charity. It is an investment in children, in mothers and in the conditions that allow families to thrive.
Yours in Service,
Aisha Nyandoro
CEO