Help put hope in their hands

Dramatic Play Centers

Program launched in January 2025 in partnership with Seneca Valley School District Extended Day Kindergarten classrooms.  The Andrew Effect supplied these fourteen classrooms with a dramatic play structure plus nine different play scenarios for each month of the school year.  Example scenarios included a bank, constructions site, car clinic, diner, a home, weather station, creator space, dentist, and hair salon.  

The Andrew Effect has already launched the process to bring this program to other school districts.

Adventure Packs:

Carefully curated Adventure Packs are designed to spark imagination and creativity, while promoting math, literacy, creativity, and science activities.  Distribution occurs twice a year, early December, and March.

  • Incorporate specific toy requirements that exists under thoughtfully chose toys and activities now.

Reading Matters:

Literacy is step one to self-confidence and self-sufficiency. Summer reading loss is cumulative.  By middle school, a child can lose up to two reading levels.  To promote reading, the Andrew Effects distribute summer reading bags to area children.  Each child receives five age-appropriate books to build their home library and encourage summer reading.  Distribution occurs in June of each year.  

Benificiaries:

The Andrew Effect partners with area foster care agencies, transitional housing providers and school districts to identify children in need

  • In Pennsylvania, there are currently over 15,000 children in foster care placement.

  • Around 17% of all children in Pennsylvania live below the poverty level.

  • Additional 30% of children in Pennsylvania live in households above the poverty level but less than what it costs to live and work in the current economy.

Valentine’s Day Kits

One of the most requested items from parents to the school districts is Valentine’s Day supplies so their children can participate in school party activities.  Many households do not have art supplies, shoe boxes or funds to purchase cards for their children. 

Historically, many teachers pay out of their own pockets to aid these children.  Based on this information, The Andrew Effect launched the delivery of Valentine’s Day kits in 2024.  Each kit includes a shoe box, cards to exchange with their classmates, all crafting and building materials to create a Valentine’s Day masterpiece!

Our Impact

The Andrew Effect relies on its partners to provide feedback on the impact of our programs. Our goals are that children experience the joy of opening something designed just for them, and that it increases their self-esteem and heightens their desire to learn. Armed with learning activities that children can use outside of the classroom, children may continue to explore their world, master new skills, and develop new passions. As adults, we can all look back and recall a special gift that enriched our childhood and fueled our life’s passions.

 

A recent referral allowed us to help three children, all living with their grandmother. We hand-picked gifts to match the children’s interests. For one budding scientist, the gift was a science kit and microscope. The family is facing grief and financial hardships, as both parents are deceased. The grandmother was grateful, as she juggles her life with three young kids and a job training program so she can improve their future as a family. With our partners, The Andrew Effect is proud to help children and families who need extra encouragement and some of life’s “extras” that can provide opportunities to learn, bond and form positive memories.