Baby Bucks is helping local families receive essential items
Last fall, the HDFS 3322: Family in the Community class put on a project for the Center for Early Head Start (CEHS). Students were able to set up a permanent store—Baby Bucks—for families enrolled in the center and local community.
Baby Bucks offers families access to buy gently used clothing items including clothes, shoes, socks, and other childcare items.
CEHS Family and health services manager, Andrea Bewley, helps facilitate the Baby Bucks program. In the past, donations given to the program and stored in a closet. Twice a year they would sort and put everything out, like a giant garage sale. Families would come and spend their Baby Bucks that they had earned during the past six months.
What started as a small closet of donated items grew to a full-fledge store for the local community.
“The HDFS 3322 class removed everything we had stored, sorted everything by sizes and seasons, put together racks and shelves and completely transformed the families' shopping experiences,” Bewley said. “One student developed a spreadsheet where we can keep track of each family's Bucks and their spending. The students also developed signage for the store and made it so easy for volunteers, so that we always have the items ready when a family has a need.”
Now, families can shop anytime in a clean and well-organized space. The HDFS students transformed the service and now Baby Bucks is more accessible to the community.
Center for Early Head Start families can earn bucks by engaging with the Human Development and Family Sciences program and their child's education. Examples include participating in home visits, special center events, volunteer work in the classroom, getting their children's well checkups, and more.
Baby Bucks is operating year-round and is always accepting donations. The HDFS students have done a great job helping their community and giving families a chance to receive essential items.
Center for Early Head Start
3315 E Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79403