This post is part of a paid campaign.

My baby girl started Prekindergarten this past Monday. Here in Florida they actually call it Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK), and the state funds the program. So, if you properly enroll your child with the state, various local child care centers will provide VPK free of charge 3 hours a day, five days a week. But, even though the state funds the program, I found myself receiving a school supply list from her preschool and having to purchase school supplies. We didn’t mind at all, and of course, it was very exciting for her to get her school supplies and take them to school. After all, starting next year when she starts Kindergarten, I’ll be buying school supplies every year thereafter – so this was good training.

Still, it reminded me of how underfunded the general school system is. Here in Florida, there have been many budget cuts for the Education industry, some that even recently affected the program where just eight months ago I was working full-time. The program no longer exists. I also know that most teachers purchase school supplies for their classrooms and students out of their own pocket. I know this because my mother-in-law is an elementary school teacher in South Florida and she is constantly looking for items at stores for “her kids” and her classroom. And, I think that’s how most teachers feel too – their students are “their kids” and they wholeheartedly embrace their role of educating those kids.

A major way that schools are affected by budget cuts are through critical enrichment programs such as music, arts, and sports. Sadly, many schools have had to cut back on or eliminate such programs. This year, Clorox wishes to help schools by awarding four grants, totaling $110,000, to help fund school programs that will brighten and enrich the lives of kids. Through the Power A Bright Future grant program, Clorox is seeking nominations for schools to win a $50,000 grand-prize grant or one of three $20,000 grants. All you have to do, is visit the Clorox site from August 12 to September 27, 2010 and submit a photo and information about the program in the appropriate category for your idea: Learn, Play or Create. For more information, official rules and to nominate a school program, visit Clorox.

Additional Ways To Help Your School and Children

• I’m sure this is stuff we all already know, but as a reminder, taking several easy steps can help prevent the spread of germs:
  • Sing and Scrub: Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice).
  • Do the Elbow Cough: Cough and sneeze into your elbow instead of your hands to help prevent the spread of germs by touch.
  • Disinfect Hot Spots: School staff and adults should routinely clean areas that people touch often, like desktops, remote controls and light switches.
• In addition to nominating a school, there’s also plenty that can be done to support teachers in keeping his or her classroom clean and ready to inspire students. Consider bringing teachers hand sanitizer or canisters of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes to help make clean-up easier. Similar to school supplies, many teachers also provide cleaning supplies at their own expense.

Power A Bright Future and Have Fun Too!

Through this campaign, Clorox is offering us a few ways to have fun while learning more about the Power A Bright Future program and helping schools. First up, there is a contest at the bottom of this post for you to win a prize, and next week, I’ll be co-hosting a Twitter party to discuss the program and learn tips from each other – with more prizes!

Bilingual Power a Bright Future Twitter Party

Come ready to share and receive advice from fellow moms on how you can help in keeping a healthier and happier school. The party will be in both English and Spanish, so feel free to tweet in either language! Be sure to follow the party hosts and organizers:

• Migdalia Rivera – @MsLatina
• Silvia Martinez – @mamalatina
• Melanie Edwards – @modernmami
• Ana Flores – @laflowers
• Clorox – @clorox

Party Details:

Date: Thursday, August 26
Time: 9-10 pm EST
Hashtag: #CloroxBrightFuture
Prizes: Three (3) $25 AMEX gift cards will be given out during the twitter party.
RSVP: It’s not mandatory to RSVP in order to join us, but if you want to connect with fellow party attendees ahead of time, RSVP on the Facebook Event page.

Twitter Party Giveaway Rules: Three winners will be chosen at random from all #CloroxBrightFuture tagged tweets between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m EST 8/26/10. Winner must be present and using the tag between these times to win. Winner must be 18 years of age or older and have a valid U.S. address.

ModernMami.com Reader Giveaway

One of you could win a $50 AMEX gift card.

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below answering one of the following questions:

1. Now that you’re preparing for back-to-school, how can you help in keeping a healthier and happier school for your children?
2. If you had $50,000 to fund one program in your child’s school, what would it be?
3. How have state budget cuts affected your child’s school?

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on twitter.
2. Tweet the following: Enter to win a $50 AMEX gift card from @modernmami. Ends 9/3. http://bit.ly/cloroxmodernmami #giveaway #contest #CloroxBrightFuture
3. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
4. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
5. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the Power A Bright Future program with your readers; make sure to link back to this contest page in your post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Friday, September 3 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Be sure to also check out my co-hosts’ blogs for additional giveaway opportunities. They are each hosting the same giveaway.

• Migdalia Rivera – Latina on a Mission
• Silvia Martinez – Mamá Latina Tips

Official Rules: Entrants can only win a $50 American Express gift card on one (1) Bilingual Power a Bright Future Twitter party host’s blog. If an entrant chooses to comment on more than one host’s blog post, he/she is only eligible to win one (1) prize, even if randomly selected as the winner more than once. Entrants for the Giveaways may not participate with multiple e-mail addresses. Any entrant who attempts to enter with multiple e-mail addresses, under multiple identities, or uses any other device will be disqualified from participation in the promotion, and all entries submitted by that entrant will be void.

Disclosure: I am being compensated for co-hosting the Bilingual Power a Bright Future Twitter party. This post was written in conjunction with the campaign, but all opinions and thoughts are original.