ROSEVILLE, Minn. — While your family wraps up back to school shopping, teachers across Minnesota are getting their classrooms ready too.
But some teachers have to dip into their own bank accounts to make sure all the glue, markers and paper students need for the year are ready and waiting when they walk through the doors on the first day.
That's where the local nonprofit "Kids in Need Foundation" comes in.
Operating out of Roseville, Minnesota, the foundation offers multiple programs to make sure everyone is ready to learn, without having to worry about the cost. One of them is a resource center where teachers can "shop" for the supplies they need.
"Kids aren't gonna buy Sharpies, but to get the fun colored Sharpies it's awesome because then we can do fun projects with those," said Erica Anderson, a third-grade teacher at Edgerton Elementary.
But the resources for educators don't stop there. New this year, teachers nationwide can use a free platform called Every Teacher, Every Day.
Teachers can visit the site to get resources for their classrooms, ideas for activities and to find a connection with other teachers through their Facebook group.
Both of these programs are working towards making it easier for teachers to go back to class with fewer worries.
Any teachers can apply to shop at the resource center if they teach in a school where a high percentage of students are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program.
For more information, visit the Kids in Need Foundation website here.