Books, Sensory Supplies, Field Trips — NWRESD Foundation Grants Fund Educators’ Creative Ideas (Photo) -02/18/25
Educators have a lot of great ideas about what they need to help kids succeed. But like any endeavor, there's a startup cost.
For educators in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties, that's where Northwest Regional Education Service District's Foundation steps in.
Every year, the nonprofit funds about $25,000 in small grants so educators can transition from idea-land into reality. Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $2,500 and benefit thousands of students.
The foundation recently announced this year's recipients. Thirty educators and therapists working in the Astoria, Beaverton, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Nestucca Valley, Scappoose, Sherwood, Tigard-Tualatin and Tillamook school districts received funding that totals nearly $36,000. The projects range from $250 to $2,500.
The majority of the projects will help students experiencing developmental, physical, behavioral or mental health challenges participate in their learning and build skills. Other projects support language development, early learning or kindergarten readiness.
This year's grant projects include:
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Audio learning devices for a social emotional learning classroom
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Library of loaner toys adapted for children with various disabilities for families to try out
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New bicycles for a bicycle maintenance program staffed by students in a transition class
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Bilingual board books for child care providers
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Flag poles and pom-poms for a color guard team made up entirely of students with disabilities
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A read-aloud program for preschoolers led by middle schoolers
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Sensory tools and equipment for neurodiverse students
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Guitars and keyboards with stands for a music class at a social emotional learning school
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Height-adjustable changing table for an early learning center
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A field trip to the Oregon Zoo for students who are Deaf and their families
Eva Manderson oversees a program that supports child care providers located along Oregon's north coast and rural Columbia County. Her team of nine provides training, professional development and technical assistance to child care providers so they can build their skills and their child care businesses.
She says they are always looking for ways to connect with providers and remind them about the support our programs offer. Hectic schedules and the daily grind of providing reliable child care can prevent them from investing in themselves.
So this year, the team applied for a grant to help them connect with providers while simultaneously helping those providers stock their library shelves. They'll package up bags of books and other resources for 120 child care providers and personally deliver them at the end of the summer. Along with the books, the providers will meet with our staff and learn more about the opportunities available to them.
"This will help to continue to build stronger relationships and ensure providers feel comfortable reaching out for assistance," Eva says. "It will also increase early literacy and language development through exposure to more equitable and inclusive print material for the child care community and the children that they serve."
Karen Foley, chair of the foundation's grant selection committee, says she was overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of applications this year. The committee received more than 100 requests.
"We wish we could fund them all," she says. Karen has served on the committee for many years and most recently as chair. She says the group always takes such care in deliberating how to spend the dollars raised for these grant projects.
See below for a description of the grant, name of the recipient and their school district. Sign up for updates from the NWRESD Foundation to get notified about the next opportunity to apply for a grant. The foundation typically accepts applications in the fall and awards grants in the winter.
2024-25 Northwest Regional Education Service District Foundation Grant Awardees
Grant Title: Accessible Audio Learning for Diverse Needs in Social Emotional Learning and Language Development
Total awarded: $1,710
County: Columbia and Washington Counties - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Ray Johnson
Grant description: This grant will provide six special audio players for students who attend a social emotional learning school in Beaverton. Students with disabilities such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other similar conditions can become easily distracted or overwhelmed with typical classroom technologies such as Chromebooks or smart devices.
Audio-only players help minimize those distractions while offering students content created specifically for them. The audiobooks, meditations, music and other educational resources on these devices will help students focus and improve their listening, language and comprehension skills.
Grant title: Adapted Toys for Children with Motor and Communication Delays
Total awarded: $2,500
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Rikkie Schley
Grant description: When children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, sensory impairments, autism, cognitive delays or neurological conditions are able to play with toys that are adapted for them, those experiences improve their ability to move, communicate and interact with others. Adaptive toys are cost-prohibitive for many families, so this project will build a library of loaner items such as bubble machines, fans and sing-along toys with large or touch-free switches.
Grant title: American Sign Language Learning Tools for Spanish-Speaking Families
Total awarded: $400
County: Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington Counties - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Alex Hutchings
Grant description: The majority of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are born into families who can hear. In Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties, many of those families speak Spanish at home. This grant will provide 20 copies of a book that teaches American Sign Language (ASL) in Spanish. The book is called ¡Dígalo en señas! (Say It In Signs) and includes descriptions and photographs so that families can learn how to communicate with their children and help them practice ASL.
Grant title: Assistive Technology Tools for School-Based Students
Total awarded: $863
County: Columbia County - Scappoose School District
Educator: Carli Tedford
Grant description: This grant will provide students with severe physical disabilities with specialized tools so they can participate in more activities at school. Children with physical disabilities have difficulty gripping classroom items such as scissors and pencils and playing with toys. This project provides adapted versions of those items so that children can participate in activities, explore new sensations and build their independence.
Grant title: Bicycles Help Students Learn Work Experience and Mechanic Skills
Total awarded: $1,500
County: Clatsop County - Astoria School District
Educator: Melissa Kinzig Utterback
Grant description: This grant will help support a bicycle maintenance program for students in Astoria High School's transition program. Funding for this grant will provide five new bicycles so the program can retire some of the oldest bikes in its fleet. The students will learn about basic bicycle maintenance and will service bikes that tourists rent out when visiting the region.
Grant title: Bilingual Books Resource Bags
Total awarded: $2,000
County: Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook Counties - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educators: Eva Manderson
Grant description: This project will provide bilingual and culturally diverse board books to about 120 child care programs in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties. Along with the books and a bag, child care providers will receive information about our Child Care Resource and Referral program and the free training, technical expertise and professional development the program offers.
Grant title: Books for Buddies: Building Community, Connection and Literacy Skills Between PreK and 6th Grade Students
Total awarded: $1,500
Counties: Washington County - Tigard-Tualatin School District
Educator: Daniel Seward
Grant description: This project will establish a read-aloud program between Kalapuya Early Learning Center and nearby Twality Middle School in Tigard. The program has the twin goals of helping preschoolers gain early literacy skills like recognizing letters and sight words and giving middle schoolers the opportunity to practice reading aloud while being role models for younger students. This grant will establish a library at the center and provide additional funding to maintain it over time.
Grant title: Boom Cards in Action: Enhancing Communication and Social Skills for Special Education
Total awarded: $250
County: Washington County - Beaverton School District
Educator: Margo Svendsen
Grant description: This grant provides funding for dozens of interactive, digital task cards for special education students in Beaverton. These cards help students improve their ability to express themselves and understand what others are saying by taking them through various scenarios. The exercises help students build self-advocacy, collaboration, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Doggie Deli by the Community Transition Program
Total awarded: $448
County: Washington County - Forest Grove School District
Educator: Jennifer Cullers
Grant description: Forest Grove High School's Doggie Deli project gives students in a transition program the opportunity to make, package and deliver dog biscuits. The students learn how to go shopping, follow a recipe, package goods and deliver items to local stores. The proceeds from the biscuits will help pay for field trips and activities for the students throughout the school year.
Empowering Accessibility and Innovation: Bringing 3D Printing Technology to Our ESD
Total awarded: $339
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Ashley Schoonover Haq
Grant description: Adaptive equipment such as keyguards, mounts, grip support and braille labels are typically expensive, but 3D printers can significantly lower the cost. This grant will provide funding for materials so that specialists at NWRESD's early learning center in Beaverton can print custom-made items for students using an already-existing printer.
Grant title: Enhancing Sensory Success: Providing Tools for Children with Sensory Processing Needs to Thrive in Early Learning Settings
Total awarded: $2,496
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Jasmine Choquette
Grant description: Children with sensory differences have trouble processing information from their senses (aka light, sound, taste, touch and smell). Giving children with these challenges access to sensory items made just for them significantly improves their ability to focus, self-regulate, interact with teachers and friends and participate in preschool activities like cutting and drawing. Funding for this grant will provide items such as a platform swing; resistance tunnel; foldable trampoline; scooter ramp; cuddle box and washable sensory spirals, stars and balls.
Grant title: Family Connections and Shared Language
Total awarded: $680
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Lee Ann Banning
Grant description: This grant will provide funding for children who attend a Deaf and Hard of Hearing program in Hillsboro to visit the Oregon Zoo along with their families. The children will practice new signs related to the animals they are viewing and their parents will learn more about American Sign Language and how important it is for their child's development.
Grant title: Gym Play Items
Total awarded: $727
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Sarah Buswell
Grant description: A gym at an early learning center in Beaverton will get new items so that preschoolers who attend the program will have more opportunities to play and explore together. Funding will provide sports balls and pumps and a net; floor mats and tiles; and a toddler gym set with a slide, climbing wall, ladder, net, bars and rings.
Grant title: Height Adjustable Changing Table
Total awarded: $1,747
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Keri Esser
Grant description: This grant will provide an adjustable changing table for an early learning center in Beaverton. Having a table that is adjustable will enable a safer diaper-changing experience for the children and educators at the center.
Grant title: Improving Formative Assessment for English Language Learner Students
Total awarded: $400
County: Columbia County - Scappoose School District
Educator: Dawn Cowan
Grant description: This project will provide funding for eight licenses for a formative assessment called Flashlight360, which monitors English language development for students who are learning English. The students attend Sauvie Island School in Columbia County and the school doesn't currently have the ability to monitor their progress throughout the school year.
Grant title: Indoor Gym
Total awarded: $300
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Youa Steffan
Grant description: This grant will provide three swivel chairs so children with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other sensory issues can spin and satisfy their need to move in a safe way. The chairs also help children develop balance and coordination.
Grant title: Let's Support Students with Communication and Meet Their Sensory Needs
Total awarded: $2,500
County: Clatsop County - Astoria School District
Educator: Liz Visser
Grant description: This project will provide three iPads with cases and licenses for assistive technology software called TD Snap for a special education classroom at Astor Elementary School in Astoria. The specialized software is designed to help children who cannot verbally communicate verbally express their needs in other ways. Students will gain a new avenue to express themselves, which will improve their independence and reduce frustration.
Grant title: Making Music Accessible for All
Total awarded: $1,410
County: Columbia and Washington Counties - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Jennifer Allen
Grant description: Students who attend NWRESD's social emotional learning school in Beaverton do not have access to the same array of electives as peers who attend neighborhood schools. This grant will fund keyboards, keyboard stands, acoustic guitars and sheet music stands. In addition to learning how to play musical instruments and performing in front of others, students will learn about music theory, analysis and composition; creative expression; and critical listening.
Grant title: Multi-Sensory Letter Boxes
Total awarded: $370
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Sara Wright
Grant description: This grant will provide an estimated 70 students who experience blindness or visual impairment with access to sensory-rich letter boxes for every letter in the English alphabet. Boxes will include large-print laminated letters, Braille symbols, a diverse range of objects beginning with that letter, highlighted wrapped letters to support students with cortical vision impairments and more. The boxes will be available to all teachers of the visually impaired at NWRESD and also teachers in our region.
Grant title: Multilingual Library
Total awarded: $1,500
County: Tillamook County - Nestucca Valley School District
Educator: Heidi Schultz
Grant description: This grant will provide funding for multilingual books and multimedia resources for the Nestucca Valley Early Learning Center. It will also provide literacy supports such as classroom anchor charts, which help reinforce key points and lessons for students by acting as visual reminders. The Nestucca Valley community is growing more diverse, so having books for children in various languages is important for all students -- both for those who speak languages other than English and students who are learning alongside English language learners.
Grant title: Not All Flag Poles Are Alike
Total awarded: $331
County: Washington County - Beaverton School District
Educator: Pat Carley
Grant description: The Beaverton STARS is a color guard team made up entirely of students with disabilities. This grant will provide new flag poles and glittery pom-poms for the team. The Beaverton School District has offered this free program for the past 18 years and much of the group's equipment is old and worn out.
Grant title: Reading Academic Station - Out of this World Literacy Project
Total awarded: $468
County: Washington County - Sherwood School District
Educator: Courtney Minor
Grant description: Funding for this grant will provide a reading curriculum for a special education classroom at Sherwood High School. The curriculum offers differentiated instruction for students at various levels and will help them improve their reading fluency (words per minute and accuracy) using independent work time, collaborative lessons and small group instruction.
Grant title: Reading for Success
Total awarded: $1,171
County: Washington County - Hillsboro School District
Educator: Eddie Lavelle
Grant description: This grant will create a high-interest library of graphic novels for freshmen who are part of a reading support program at Century High School. Students in the program struggle to read because of disabilities, language barriers and/or other challenges. The books cover relevant topics and feature culturally and linguistically diverse characters. Graphic novels like these are beneficial for two reasons:
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diverse students are more engaged with content when they see themselves and their own experiences represented in the stories they are reading and
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reluctant and/or struggling readers or those with disabilities like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia are more likely to find success with alternative book formats
Grant title: Sensory Regulation Tools for School-aged Students
Total awarded: $970
County: Columbia County - Scappoose School District
Educator: Carli Tedford
Grant description: This grant will provide sensory regulation tools for about 100 students in the Scappoose School District. Students with anxiety, autism spectrum disorder or sensory processing differences benefit from tools that help them expend energy and manage their emotions. When they have access to these items, they are more likely to stay on task, make safer choices and feel calm. Items for this project include sensory boards, bouncy bands, wobble chair feet attachments, sequin walls, weighted blankets, weighted animals, vibrating pillows and wobble stools.
Grant title: Sensory Room Support for Students With Unique Needs to Help Them Better Access Their Learning
Total awarded: $1,250
County: Washington County - Beaverton School District
Educator: Samantha Minter
Grant description: William Walker Elementary School will receive funding to create a sensory room for students who are experiencing various disabilities. The goal of the project is to provide a safe space for children to calm down when they are feeling overwhelmed. The grant will provide collapsible mats, sound-proof pads, weighted blankets, sensory chairs, crash pads/bean bags, LED color-changing lights, sensory wall and mats, headphones, foam floor pads, pool noodles and dry-erase boards.
Grant title: Social Play Opportunities & Funding for THPRD Passes
Total awarded: $310
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Rain Daniel
Grant description: This project will sponsor two field trips to the Conestoga Recreation Center for 20 families whose babies or toddlers receive Early Intervention services from NWRESD. The families regularly attend an informal play group with other families in the program, but this outing gives them an opportunity to visit a public indoor gym with NWRESD specialists.
In her application, speech-language pathologist Rain Daniel wrote: "Some parents report that they have explored play groups in their communities (parks, paid indoor play spaces, music & art classes), but their child often runs away, does not play safely around other children or they feel judged by other parents with typically developing children. Cost is also a barrier for many. We want parents to feel confident in taking their children to public play spaces that are safe and supportive and offer opportunities for their children to play alongside typically developing peers."
Grant title: Story Boxes: A Hands-On Literacy Experience
Total awarded: $250
County: Washington County - Northwest Regional Education Service District
Educator: Melissa Nazal
Grant description: Story boxes will bring stories to life for children with vision loss. Every story box will include a story paired with a stuffed animal, toy or other sensory object that corresponds to the narrative. They'll also include instructions and a QR code to a read-aloud version of the story. The goal of the project is to create an immersive reading experience that will stimulate creativity and a love of books for children who are blind, deafblind or visually impaired.
Grant title: Supporting Spanish Literacy and the Joy of Reading in Our School Libraries
Total awarded: $2,000
County: Columbia County - Scappoose School District
Educator: Keely Nudo
Grant description: The Scappoose School District has very few Spanish-language books for students to check out. This grant seeks to change that. This project will provide 20-50 new books at all five schools in Scappoose. The books will be a variety of titles that support the curricula at the schools. When students see themselves in the stories they read, they are more likely to stay engaged and interested in the narratives.
Grant title: The Play's The Thing
Total awarded: $1,500
County: Washington County - Forest Grove School District
Educator: Juliet Prosser
Grant description: This grant will support 100 high school students who are learning English and are part of a theater class in Forest Grove. Funding will cover the licensing fees for some one-acts, which are 20- to 40-minute plays performed back-to-back. Other acts will be original plays written by the students. The grant will also provide funding for costumes and publicity for the performance. The goal of the project is to encourage creativity, leadership, confidence and culture-building all while helping students practice English.
Grant title: Unified Performers 2025 Spring Production
Total awarded: $2,500
County: Washington County - Forest Grove School District
Educator: Jill Carey
Grant description: Two hundred students who are part of a unified performance group at Forest Grove High School will take part in virtual and in-person theater performances. It can be difficult for students with disabilities to express themselves publicly, so the unified performers' experience offers students that outlet. Funding for the grant will cover script royalties and technical assistance with lighting and video.
Grant title: Zen Den Wellness Center
Total awarded: $1,455
County: Washington County - Tigard-Tualatin School District
Educator: Fawn Morosky
Grant description: This project seeks to create a comprehensive wellness center for students at Durham Elementary School in Tigard. The behavioral support team will manage the space and teach students and staff how to use the items and resources available there. Funds will cover sensory items such as kinetic sand, a weighted blanket, a jellyfish lamp, lights and light covers, therapy putty, noise-canceling headphones, magnetic tiles and a liquid activity mat.
