When I stepped into my role as director of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program at Delhi Unified School District, I was tasked with launching an after-school and summer learning program that would allow students to re-engage academically and socially after the pandemic. Because we offered robotics, arts enrichment and summer school prep, our team quickly realized that getting the right materials to the right classrooms would be one of our biggest challenges. We had to rethink our entire approach to purchasing if we wanted these programs to succeed. Here are three best practices we discovered along the way.
Empower site coordinators to identify exactly what’s needed
With five schools and multiple coordinators submitting supply requests, clarity was key. We shifted the responsibility of identifying materials to the site level. Coordinators closest to the classroom built supply lists and communicated directly with our team. This decentralized approach reduced guesswork and cut down on approval time.
Use tech tools that eliminate unnecessary steps
One tool that made a big difference for us was Share-A-Cart. Instead of clicking multiple Amazon links or digging through spreadsheets, coordinators now send a single cart link. I can review, approve and purchase in a few clicks. It’s not just a time-saver; it’s helped us avoid mistakes, track inventory more easily and ensure teachers get what they need.
Also, our fiscal department created an open purchase order for Amazon that my team and I can use. This allows us to order items without the normal multi-step approval process.
Standardize kits for recurring programs
For summer school, where teachers may rotate sites and aren’t always familiar with the classrooms they’re teaching in, we created standardized “totes” filled with everything they’d need — from math manipulatives to science materials. Each teacher gets a complete set on day one, and we collect and replenish them at the end of the session. This system ensures no one is scrambling at the last minute or improvising lessons without supplies.
These strategies made our ordering process more efficient and helped us better support teachers and ensure students walk into classrooms ready for hands-on learning from day one. The less time we spend on procurement, the more time we can spend making school fun and engaging for our students.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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