Help stop poverty from holding Ava back

Yes. We encourage sponsors and children to exchange cards and letters throughout the year - although it is entirely optional. Many sponsors and their students find this an extremely rewarding part of the program. We’ll even send you a reminder before your students birthday so you can send a card if you wish. All correspondence between students and sponsors is exchanged through The Smith Family to ensure that it complies with our guidelines and that privacy is maintained at all times.

The My Smith Family Portal also enables you to write electronically, quickly and easily and can be accessed here.

To find out more about writing to your student, please visit this page.

To be eligible for Learning for Life sponsorship families must meet the following criteria:

• live in a community where The Smith Family has a presence;
• possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card;
• demonstrate a commitment to education (i.e. children must attend school regularly);
• be referred to us by a community organisation such as a school.

To remain on the Learning for Life sponsorship program families must:

• show a commitment to their child’s education by ensuring children attend school;
• complete a student profile each year (a written update which is sent to their sponsor);
• provide a copy of their end of year school reports (for Smith Family administration and not shared with the sponsor);
• keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested.

Research confirms that the best way to help children break the cycle of disadvantage is by helping them get the most out of their education.

Everything that we do is backed by research, and we know that sponsorship is making a difference because we measure the success of all of our programs.

Sponsorship supports children in need so they can:

• attend school regularly,
• complete Year 12, and
• move onto further education and employment post school. 

You can also follow your child’s progression through school by corresponding with them.

Since the end of the 1990s The Smith Family has focused its activities on providing disadvantaged children with a hand up through education support rather than a hand out through emergency relief or traditional welfare activities, including blankets, food parcels and furniture.

Research shows supporting a child’s education and learning is one of the most effective means of breaking the cycle of disadvantage and this is what The Smith Family is all about today.

The Smith Family forms a partnership agreement with every family that comes onto the Learning for Life program. This is a rigorous process to ensure that your money is used as set out in the agreement. Our students are referred by our partner schools, and their families must possess a Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card to be eligible for support. To remain on the sponsorship program supported families must keep receipts of educational expenses and be able to show these as requested, as well as return partnership paperwork (e.g. student profiles and student attendance reports).

Children from poor backgrounds often don’t have access to the tools and support they need to keep up in school and get the most from their education. And that’s why sponsorship is so important.

As a Learning for Life sponsor, your contribution of $58 a month, combined with that of another sponsor, provides a combination of three vital areas of support for a sponsored child:

• financial support to pay for school essentials such as a school uniform, proper school shoes, text books, and school excursions;
• targeted support from a Learning for Life Coordinator who really gets to know the family and understand their unique circumstances. They can link the student to local learning opportunities that help them to fully participate in their education;
• access to a range of educational opportunities. This includes our out-of-school learning and mentoring programs which help boost their confidence and improve vital skills such as reading so they can keep up with their peers at school.

There's also the emotional support that you provide simply by being their sponsor. Students often tell us how motivated they feel just knowing that someone out there (whom they will never meet) cares about them enough to invest in their future.

Many of our sponsors choose a shared sponsorship at $58/month for a student in Kindergarten to Year 10. This option is made available to you online.

Shared sponsorship is $58/month for a student in Kindergarten to Year 10. Shared sponsorship is where two sponsors contributions are combined to sponsor one child:

If you would like to become a Sole sponsor you can do so here

If you are considering sponsoring a senior school student, our Supporter Care Team will be able to assist you. Contact them on 1800 024 069 or via email at sponsorship@thesmithfamily.com.au