Connecting Community Care to Classroom Impact

Why the Foundation Exists

It often starts quietly.

A teacher notices a student struggling to focus—not because the work is too hard, but because they came to school hungry. A child hesitates to raise their hand, tugging at sleeves that no longer fit. A classroom buzzes with curiosity, but the materials needed to bring an idea to life are just out of reach.

These moments are easy to miss from the outside. But inside our schools, they happen every day. And they are the reason the Foundation exists.

Public schools are filled with dedicated educators and capable students. Yet public funding alone cannot always respond to the real, human needs that show up in classrooms. When those needs go unmet, teachers compensate. Families fill gaps where they can. And opportunities—big and small—sometimes slip away.

The NACS Education Foundation was created to step into that space. To bridge the gap between what schools are funded to do and what students actually need to thrive. To turn community care into meaningful, lasting impact.

READY: Meeting Students Where They Are

Before a student can fully engage in learning, they need to be ready for school—physically, emotionally, and practically.

Ready means ensuring students have basic supplies so they can participate with confidence. It means recognizing that hunger and food insecurity don’t stop at the classroom door, and that students who are hungry are more likely to be distracted, anxious, or struggle with behavior. It means understanding that clean, warm clothing is not a luxury—it is essential to self-esteem, comfort, and the confidence to show up as their full selves.

When students’ basic needs are met, they are freer to focus, to learn, and to believe that school is a place where they belong.

IGNITE: Sparking a Love of Learning

Once students are ready, the next step is to ignite their curiosity.

Ignite is about lighting that internal spark that turns learning from something students have to do into something they want to do. It shows up through hands-on learning, creative tools, and environments where students feel comfortable exploring ideas—sometimes messy, sometimes ambitious, always meaningful.

Ignite allows students to collaborate across ages, to explore careers they may never have considered, and to take their wildest ideas and make them real. It helps students discover what excites them and imagine how their passions could grow into futures they are proud of.

This is where learning becomes personal—and powerful.

ELEVATE: Supporting the Educators Who Lead the Way

Student success is inseparable from teacher success.

Elevate is our commitment to supporting educators as energetic, confident leaders in their field. It means providing tangible resources that help teachers feel supported—not stretched thinner. It includes opportunities for professional growth through college courses, conferences, and continuing education that reignite their passion and bring fresh ideas back into the classroom.

When teachers feel valued and equipped, morale rises. Burnout decreases. Stability increases. And students benefit from consistent, inspired instruction—an essential ingredient for long-term success.

CONNECT: Strengthening the School–Community Bond

Strong schools and strong communities grow together.

Connect is about ensuring our community feels informed, welcomed, and meaningfully involved in our schools. Many people want to support education—but without a clear connection, it can be hard to see the impact of that support or even know where help is most needed.

Every day, there are stories of success happening in our schools. Sometimes that success looks like a perfect SAT score. More often, it looks like a student learning a new sound in speech therapy, mastering study skills and earning an A, remembering to turn in homework and learning responsibility, or reconnecting with a trusted teacher after a long weekend and feeling safe and seen.

The Foundation helps bring these stories to light—creating pathways for the community to support schools and celebrate the progress happening within them.

A Shared Investment in Growth

Through community support, we can strengthen these efforts and ensure our schools are places where everyone—students, educators, and families—can learn and grow in the ways they individually need.

The NACS Education Foundation exists not just to fund programs, but to invest in readiness, spark curiosity, elevate educators, and connect a community around its schools.

Because when we show up together, possibility becomes reality.

Join Us

The work of the NACS Education Foundation is powered by community—by people who believe that strong schools shape strong futures.

You can be part of this story. Whether you choose to give, partner, volunteer, or simply share what is happening in our schools, your support helps ensure that every student is ready to learn, inspired to ignite their curiosity, taught by educators who are elevated to succeed, and surrounded by a community that stays connected.

Together, we can turn everyday moments into lasting impact—and help our schools continue to be places where every learner can thrive.