TEMPE, AZ — Nearly 70 families at a Tempe elementary school will receive $200 per month for three years as part of a pilot project aimed at improving student outcomes.
The Tempe Community Action Agency is leading what’s called the Puente Project, a universal basic income initiative. CEO Phillip Scharf told ABC15 an anonymous donor wanted to work with them in the project, hoping to see if educational outcomes improve if the families are getting additional help each month.
“It could mean a healthy breakfast every single day of the week for that kid. That $200 a month could cover an entire months-worth of healthy breakfast,” Scharf continued. "As a really fine example, if you start your day our with a full belly, you’re going to have a better opportunity to learn throughout the day."
The organization recently finished registering students and their families. There will be 68 students and their parents taking part in the pilot project over the next few years. The only requirements to be in the program include students needing to be in third grade and they have to attend Thew Elementary School. If they end up moving out of that school, they won’t be able to participate anymore.
“We focused on third grade because we understand that third grade is a very important year in the educational journey of a child. Additionally, we’re also looking at the social determinants of health to be able to evaluate and how to evaluate the impact this will have on a student moving forward,” said Xavier Gonzalez, the senior manager of economic mobility with the organization.
The school was chosen for the proximity to the organization. It’s also a Title I school, meaning that a large portion of students at that school come from low-income families. Gonzalez said some of their families are known to them, going to the food pantry at the organization.
Families will be able to use the $200 however they please and there won’t be restrictions or limitations, the organization said.
“One of the big things is we trust the families,” Gonzalez said. “As much as a tire gets blown out, they have this additional income to be able to cover that expense or even cover food or other unexpected, unplanned expenses they may have."
The money will be loaded onto a reloadable gift card every month starting this month. Over the next three years, the families will meet with the organization monthly and take surveys to track their progress.
