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Posted on: 1/9/25
Classroom Central teamed up with Charlotte FC to launch Learning Lockers, a new initiative that aims to reduce barriers in accessing critical education resources and increase the number of teachers and students served through Classroom Central’s free supply programs.
The Learning Lockers ensure students are equipped to succeed and teachers have the tools they need to create thriving classrooms. Nations Ford Elementary School is the first school to pilot the program.
Stocked with supplies like folders, papers, pencils and erasers, and
hygiene products, Karen Calder, executive director at Classroom Central, said the Learning Lockers are miniature versions of their store that meet teachers and students where they are — at the school.
“We are aiming to increase the number of classrooms we impact by 40%,” said Calder. “Not all schools are created equal and they all can’t be served in the same way. We started to unveil the barriers that educators were coming against and the top two were distance and time.”
Principal Michael May said his teachers found it difficult to make it to Classroom Central during their business hours due to the school’s dismissal time. Now with the supplies being readily available at the school, May said teachers will have one less thing to worry about.
“Classroom Central is a gift to us so that teachers don’t have to go into their own pockets to buy. We now have the supplies right here that they can use,” he said. “It eliminates a huge barrier for us and it’s a huge relief for our teachers.”
Valda Oliver, Exceptional Children teacher at Nations Ford Elementary, had the opportunity to shop around in the Learning Locker. She left with a bag filled with supplies she would normally have to provide on her own.
“(The supplies) may seem simple to others, but to us we constantly run out,” she said.
May said they plan to have the Learning Locker open about once or twice a week for teachers to grab what they need.
