Families in Santa Cruz de Tenerife who are experiencing financial hardship will be able to receive €50 assistance cards to help pay for school supplies as the new school year gets underway.
The scheme is being organised by Santa Cruz City Council through its network of organisations working with municipal social services.
It comes from a collaboration between the council and Fundación DinoSol, with the aim of taking some of the financial pressure off families who are already struggling with the cost of getting children ready for school.
Bancoteide will handle the distribution of the cards to eligible families.
The funding comes from an agreement under which an amount equivalent to 3% of the annual turnover from basic cards purchased by the council for its Social Assistance Economic Benefits programme is made available for additional social needs.
This time, some of that money will go towards school materials.
Early morning childcare from the first day
The school supplies scheme isn’t the only support being introduced for the new school year.
Santa Cruz will also have its early morning childcare service operating from the first day of classes, which is scheduled for 9 September.
The service is designed to help parents balance work and family commitments, particularly where working hours mean they need somewhere safe for their children to go before the school day begins.
The council is putting €420,000 towards the service.
For working parents, this sort of support can make a surprisingly big difference. School hours and working hours don’t always seem to have been designed by people who have actually tried fitting the two together.
More than €1 million spent on school improvements
The council has also used the summer holidays to carry out improvement works at public schools across the municipality.
So far this year, the Works and Infrastructure department has spent more than €1 million on projects covering safety, accessibility, functionality and general maintenance.
The work has included replacing windows at CEIP Julián Rojas de Vera and the Infant classrooms at CEIP Miguel Pintor.
At CEIP Salamanca, the roof has been waterproofed and downpipes replaced.
Other projects include a new pergola at CEIP Ágora and bathroom renovations at CEIP Chapatal and CEIP Los Verodes.
Painting, waterproofing, roof repairs, fencing and improvements to outdoor and communal areas have also been carried out during the summer break.
Almost €4 million a year on school maintenance
The investment doesn’t stop once the summer building work is finished.
According to figures provided by the council, Santa Cruz spends close to €4 million every year on services connected with maintaining its public schools.
That includes building maintenance, cleaning, electricity supplies, alarm and fire protection systems, and lift maintenance.
So while the €50 cards might seem relatively modest, they’re part of a wider package of support aimed at helping families with the costs and practical headaches that come with another school year.