A Precious Child collects donated new and gently-used clothing, coats, undergarments, socks, shoes, hygiene items, home goods and other essentials and distributes them to children and families in the most need through our Resource Center. Families are referred to our Resource Center by our Agency Partners, including schools, human services organizations, churches, hospitals, safe houses, fire and police departments, at-risk youth centers, mental health and foster care organizations and homeless shelters.

Once referred, clients call and make an appointment with a Client Outcomes Advocate to come shop for the basic essentials they need in a welcoming store-like setting with no cost to families.

Our Boutiques (satellite Resource Centers) are located throughout the community in schools, shelters and human service agencies to ensure children have easy access on-site to the basic essentials they need.

Every child deserves to have access to basic essentials. With more than 250,000 children living below the Colorado Self-Sufficiency Standard in A Precious Child’s eight-county service area alone, the basic essentials such as clothing, underwear and shoes quickly become a luxury. Many children go without the proper clothing and essentials they need to feel confident and prepared to succeed academically.

According to the education researchers Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes at Johns Hopkins, children living in poverty are by far the most likely to be chronically absent from school. Lack of clean or appropriate clothes and lack of warm/weather resistant clothes to wear in the cold or rain are among the top reasons that low income students choose not to attend school.

A child who comes to school wearing appropriate clothing and with the necessary supplies is more prepared to learn, less likely to be bullied and more able to focus on their academics.