About
Child Inclusion Fund was started in 2020 by Amanda Purdy and Michael Purdy, in Bucks County Pennsylvania.
Amanda, a social worker, saw the disparities present amongst children from lower income families and saw how they affected the child’s experience in school.
Amanda had a client who, on picture day, was not getting any individual pictures and was only getting the class picture. This was because the student’s family could not afford an individual picture package. The student waited in the classroom while the rest of the class went down to get individual pictures done. The student shared with Amanda during one of their sessions that they were sad because they felt very left out when they had to stay behind. The other children in the class noticed them staying behind, further alienated the student.
It’s not just this situation, though, as Amanda kept noticing similar situations with this client and others. Friends, family, and colleagues all mentioned how they also recall situations like this in their childhoods.
While there are some programs available that aim to address issues like this, they mostly require lengthy processes, paperwork, approvals, parent opt-in, etc.
Amanda brought this up to Michael and the two discussed it at length. They wanted to help solve the problems students face within the community. Together, they formed Child Inclusion Fund, who’s mission is to address these problems while minimizing the barriers necessary to access funding.
Child Inclusion Fund aims to be fully transparent with the money coming in and the money going out. All finances are captured in our School Year in Review posts as well as our Summer Update posts