MILWAUKEE — As summertime comes to an end, families are gearing up for back-to-school shopping and the expenses that come with it.
"You do have to budget 'cause it's a price tag of its own,” said Dody Cooper.
Back-to-school shopping is an exciting time for kids and a price tag for parents. For Cooper, she says her daughter loves the finer things.
"Of course she picks out the really good stuff and with that comes a price. She has expensive taste,” said Cooper.
Cooper is a 3rd grade teacher at St. Marcus in Milwaukee, and her daughter Dylan, is an incoming 4th grader at the school. As a teacher and parent, she says she's noticed prices rise on school supplies. She recommends checking more than one store for the best deals, shopping ahead of time and looking for local giveaways.
Watch: Milwaukee families budget for back-to-school shopping
"I think Milwaukee is really good at hosting, like, back-to-school drives. I've noticed a lot of those, and so I will tell parents: take advantage of those,” said Cooper.
One option is School Choice Wisconsin, which will be giving out 400 to 500 units of school supplies at two different locations this year.
"Some parents have to buy uniforms, tennis shoes, new clothing, so just removing the expense of those school supplies really helps aid families. Kids get super excited. We like to make things fun. We have them choose their own color of notebooks," said Nataly Andrade.
Nataly Andrade, the director of outreach for Hispanics for School Choice, says they will be giving away supplies on August 3 in Milwaukee and August 9 in Racine.
"I think we are assisting families with at least a hundred bucks per student," said Andrade.
That kind of assistance can go a long way, and for Cooper, she wants her students to thrive.
"I'm just excited for the new school year,” said Cooper.
Places to donate school supplies include: Milwaukee Rescue Mission, United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, and The Salvation Army of Milwaukee County.
More giveaways can be found on Facebook.
