Needs

Ongoing Needs

Each year the Executive Director of White Birch Center produces an operating budget that is approved by the Board of Directors. Our income from operations is projected to be $1,013,599. Our expenses are projected to be $1,248,252. That means that this year, we need to find an additional $234,653 dollars to break even. Unfortunately, grants and volunteers aren’t going to cover this amount. That is why we need help from you. There are specific areas of our operations where your help will make a real difference to a child or a senior.

Assistance – In a typical year, White Birch offers between $40,000 and $50,000 in tuition assistance to families who need assistance. This is on top of the $43,000 in assistance from the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) going to families who qualify. The simple fact is that child care is expensive. The full tuition for a one-year-old child now costs $10,920 per year. By contributing even $100 to help defray this expense, you are not only helping White Birch but you are directly supporting a working family in this area.

  • $100 – Pays for a week of Before and After School care or a week of Kindergarten Wrap Around Care
  • $200 – Pays for one week of childcare or a week of Summer Camp
  • $800 – Pays for one month of child care

To donate towards “Assistance” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Food – Each year, White Birch serves over 40,000 meals to children in our care. For some children, this will be their best meal of the day. We pay close attention to USDA guidelines. Our food costs for child care are projected to be $45,000 or roughly $1.00 per meal.

  • $260 – Will feed a child at White Birch for 6 months
  • $520 – Will feed a child at White Birch for a year.
  • $720 – Will feed an entire classroom for a month.

To donate towards “Food” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

 

Supplies – Our budget for supplies is $25,000. This includes administrative supplies like paper and ink, cleaning supplies, and classroom supplies such as art materials and activities.

  • $100 will supply a classroom with all of their needs for a month.
  • $1,200 will supply an entire classroom

To donate towards “Supplies” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

 

Capital Needs

Capital needs are items and projects that are larger dollar amounts and typically are not included in our yearly budget. Some of these needs are more critical than others and they all fall under our long term plans for White Birch Center.

Classroom Furniture – $1,000

We have been slowly replacing worn or outdated classroom furniture with natural, solid wood furniture. This includes tables and play furniture. Any help in this area would help move this project forward more quickly.

To donate towards “Classroom Furniture” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Computers – $1,500

Our computer goal is to replace 6 laptops with processor technology and quality components so that they will last 5 years. These computers are more expensive than the typical computers one would find at Best Buy. They contain quality components, additional Random Access Memory (RAM). They are also set up off site in order to make sure the software, security, and access issues are the same as our other computers and our network. Completely outfitted and on the desk ready to use, they cost approximately, $1,500 each.

To donate towards “Computers” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Playground Climbing Structure – $1,500

We need a climbing structure for our 3 to 5-year-old playground. A basic structure is roughly $1,000. Add shipping and installation and we arrive at $1,500. At this age we know these children benefit from climbing in many ways. Gross motor development is important in the early learning years. We have a location selected and are waiting for funding to move forward with this project.

To donate towards “Playground” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Storage – $2,000

Our three-year-old classroom needs storage. We recently updated this classroom by removing a non-support wall in order to create additional space. We also painted the entire classroom. When we did this we lost some storage space which we need to replace by adding cabinets and cubbies on one of the outside walls of the classroom. We can accomplish this by purchasing some basic kitchen cabinets and also building some cubbies and creating a space for clothing hooks so children can store their backpacks and hang their winter clothing. Our estimate for this project is $2,000.

To donate towards “Storage” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Chairs – $3,500

All of the existing chairs in our conference room are older desk chairs that have been moved to the conference room when newer, properly functioning, office chairs are purchased. Half of the chairs in our conference room do not function properly and two are permanently stuck in their lowest position making it very difficult to work at the table while seated in one of these chairs. Additionally, we are in the process of creating a Teacher Resource Center where we will have a large table for teachers to use for routine work as well as teacher meetings. We need 10 chairs for this area as well. Anyone who has outfitted a conference room realizes that the large conference table is the inexpensive part. What becomes expensive are quality chairs to go around it.

To donate towards “Chairs” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

Security – $7,500

White Birch is currently a secure facility. All of our child care area can only be accessed using a security card. We still could use two essential security features.

  1. First, when a parent arrives, and does not have their security access card, they cannot get into the building to pick up their child. At one of our entry doors they can press a call button and then speak via speaker phone to someone in our office. Our office staff then calls to a nearby classroom to have a teacher come open the door. The other access door does not have a call button and parents who have forgotten their key card must use their cell phone to call the office. When we pull teachers from the classroom, even for a minute, we increase the chance that something may happen in the classroom. Ideally we would have a call button on both doors as well some sort of video feed so that we can confirm visually that it is OK to let that person into the building. It should also be possible for anyone in our office, not just the Office Manager, to be able to buzz the door open.
  2. Second, there are two playgrounds at White Birch. One for the 1 and 2 year olds, and the other is for the 3 to 5 year olds. Neither playground is visible from the administrative offices. Greater visibility helps our administrative team to locate teachers and children for various reasons. We currently can call classrooms easily but, when the classroom is outside on a playground, we cannot call or see them. Ideally, we need to be able to do both, in which case, the communication and video feed described above would be necessary.

To donate towards “Security” indicate so in the “Your Note” section.

 

 

Can you help meet these needs?

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