Friends of Tools

Overdeck Family Foundation was established in 2011 by John and Laura Overdeck, with the goal of providing all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. The Foundation focuses exclusively on enhancing education, funding efforts both inside and outside of school in the areas of early childhood, informal STEM education, and K-9 programs that include supporting educators and student-centered learning environments. Since 2021, the Foundation has provided Tools of the Mind with funding to strengthen key organizational capacities in service of growing reach and impact.

The Bezos Family Foundation believes children are born with potential and deserve the experiences and environments needed to learn and thrive. Our programs and funding are guided by the science of learning and aim to transform how we support all young people to pursue their own path for success. Tools of the Mind embodies Bezos Family Foundation’s commitment to create joyful learning environments for children by embedding research-based practices that support developing executive functions and social-emotional skills into trainings, teacher supports and technology-delivered resources. Our grant supports Tools of the Mind in building organizational capacity to sustainably scale PowerTools and the expansion of PowerTools to support K-3 literacy development, particularly for students not reading at grade-level.

Teachstone and Tools partnered to collaborate in developing an alignment between the Pre-K CLASS and… CLASS and the Tools PreK program and fidelity measure, and co-presented on their work together at multiple conferences.

Tools is pleased to announce a new Tools@Home Initiative funded with the support of the @LEGOfoundation that is invested in improving outcomes for at-risk families and children and shares our commitment to play and playful learning. Read the press release.

First Book is a national nonprofit social enterprise that promotes educational equality by providing educators with books, school supplies and other essentials needed to help kids learn. First Book is excited to partner with Tools of the Mind to make books and props that inspire imaginative play available to children across the country. To get connected to First Book’s very low cost resources, click here.

The mission of the Center on the Developing Child is to drive science-based innovation that achieves breakthrough outcomes for children facing adversity. Founded in 2006, the Center catalyzes local, national, and international innovation in policy and practice for children and families. We design, test, and implement these ideas in collaboration with a broad network of research, practice, policy, community, and philanthropic leaders. Together, we seek transformational impacts on lifelong learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. In our partnership with Tools of the Mind, we are supporting their program model evaluation and further refinement to increase their impact at scale. We are also learning from Tools, with key insights shared throughout the entire Frontiers of Innovation community, enabling other innovators to learn from their experience.

Rose Community Foundation uses leadership, grantmaking and donor engagement to invest in strategic and innovative solutions to enduring problems and emerging issues. The Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations that work to make the seven-county Greater Denver community a better place for all people primarily in the areas of Aging, Child and Family Development, Education, Health and Jewish Life. The Foundation’s aim is to give children the emotional, social and educational readiness to succeed in school and life through:

• High-quality and accessible child care and early childhood education
• Helping individuals obtain the skills and resources they need to provide for their
• families
• Educating and influencing policymakers
• Since 2008, Rose Community Foundation has supported Tools in a number of areas including funding the organization’s infrastructure and the early development of the iScaffold.

Merle Chambers Fund is a private foundation supporting equity, democracy, and women’s economic security. Although now in the midst of a three-year sunsetting of its Early Care and Education program area, Chambers Fund has historically focused on improving the early care and education of children by partnering with organizations leading systems change, educating the public, and advocating for children and their future. The foundation has supported Tools for more than a decade.

The mission of the foundation is to honor the legacy of its founders by supporting efforts that address the unmet human and social needs of individuals, families, and communities that have the least access to resources. The Foundation work is shaped by Jewish values. The Foundation has been a funder of Tools since 2010.

Daniels Fund is invested in improving outcomes for at-risk families and children, and is committed to the continued development of our PowerTools Literacy Solutions.

Lakeshore Learning is dedicated to creating innovative educational materials that spark young imaginations, instill a sense of wonder and foster a lifelong love of learning. Lakeshore Learning’s Custom Solutions Department has partnered with Tools of the Mind to create durable, colorful and engaging materials that can be used in the classroom to implement all of the Tools activities learned in the Professional Development series.

Teachers across the country have inspired Mary to create a comprehensive program that allows teachers to expand their use of the Magic Tree House (MTH) adventures. The program is designed to stimulate kids’ interest in subjects across the entire curriculum and assist teachers as they strive to achieve their curriculum standards.

Program resources available online free of charge include a “Curriculum Key” that classifies each MTH book and its non-fiction companion Fact Tracker with regard to subject matter and core curriculum standards, a Reading Level Guide, and lesson plans for MTH books and Fact Trackers.

In addition, through Mary Pope Osborne’s Gift of Books program, Mary provides for a gift of MTH books to children in Title 1 schools across the country. Visit the website to learn more!

Pearson, the world’s leading education company, has been pleased to publish Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education since 1996 through its Teacher Education and Development division. Pearson also publishes Assessing and Guiding Young Children’s Development and Learning, an early childhood text focusing on observation and assessment, by Drs. McAfee, Leong, and Bodrova. To view Pearson’s Early Childhood Education catalog, visit pearsonhighered.com/earlychildhoodeducation.

The Piton Foundation, which is part of Gary Community Investments, is a private foundation established in 1976 by Denver oilman Sam Gary. It is committed to improving the lives of Colorado’s low-income children and their families by increasing access to quality early childhood and youth development opportunities and fostering healthy family and community environments. Piton funded the lab schools in JEFFCO and Denver.

The Gates Family Foundation mission is to invest in projects and organizations which have meaningful impact in Colorado primarily through capital grants and Foundation initiatives that enhance the quality of life for those living in, working in and visiting the state. The Foundation seeks to promote excellence, innovation and self-sufficiency in education, healthy lifestyles, community enrichment, connection to nature and stewardship of the state’s natural inheritance. The foundation funded the development of the Tools iScaffold application and the implementation of the program in Colorado.