BERKELEY – The term “Confidence Closet” has two meanings, really. Students can pick up free items that they need confidentially. Also, these items give them confidence through the day.
The Confidence Closet recently opened at Berkeley Township Elementary School, stocked with clothes, coats, shoes, personal care items, snacks, and more.
Guidance Counselor Anastasia Kakos explained that she always had supplies in her office for any kid who needed something, whether it was a toothbrush or feminine hygiene products. The nurse’s office also had a stock of items that students could ask for privately.
When a room next to her office became available, Kakos requested it to answer the need on a larger level. She won a grant from the Ocean County Youth Services Commission to stock it with more items and a larger variety. As the popularity of the program has cut into the stock of items, she’s applying for a second grant to replenish and expand.
The goal of the grant is to reduce absenteeism. If kids’ basic needs are met, they will come in more often and they will be able to dedicate their thinking to the lessons at hand rather than worrying about what they don’t have.
The truth is that a significant number of kids come to school without basic necessities. Some are very good at hiding it, ashamed that they need things. When they step into the closet, they feel welcomed. Students are able to pick out clothes, shoes, and coats.
“They are just so happy that they can come here and they can shop for things,” Kakos said.
Kids can pick out coats and shoes from the Confidence Closet. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
The school has 5th and 6th graders, so students are just starting to need hygiene items that they didn’t before. Water bottles have been popular items, to fill up with the filtered water fountains at the school, and there are some snacks she can’t keep stocked. Face wash has also been huge. There’s a blow dryer in the room and a mirror on the wall for kids to check their look.
Peanut-free snacks are a big hit, and she’d like to make one wall of the closet a cupboard full of grab and go items. They ran out of zip-up sweatshirts because those are popular. Coats and shoes are always in demand, but they come in so many sizes that it’s hard to keep them stocked. Toiletries are in constant demand.
Before the grant came along, these items were purchased by staff or donated by the police department, said Assistant Principal Michael Conforti. Now, learning what supplies are most in demand, they can shop for those things.
Putting all the items in one place makes it one-stop shopping, he said, rather than have some in the nurse’s office and some in guidance.
Kids might not even have basic necessities at home, said teacher Angelo Guadagno, who is also the town’s Council President. When these kids receive these simple gifts, there’s a visible change in their attitude and in their performance at school.
When giving a tour of the room, Kakos admitted they were down some items because they had seen a lot of traffic.
Personal care items rotate quickly in and out of the Confidence Closet. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
A note went out to all district parents letting them know about the closet. Kakos and other staff have also been mentioning it to students. Word has spread since then.
Kakos told the story of one student whose shoes were literally falling apart. They were brought to the closet by another student who knew about it.
The bad news is that kids come to school every day with these basic needs. The good news is that this program exists to help alleviate that problem.
For more information, or to find out how to donate, email akakos@btboe.org.
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