Education Support Professionals Day was first celebrated in 1987 after NEA’s Representative Assembly, the Association’s decision-making body of nearly 8,000 member delegates, called on the organization to honor the contributions of all school support staff. National ESP Day is observed on Wednesday of American Education Week.

This year we have seen ESPs go well beyond anything we have seen before as they work to meet the needs of our school communities in the midst of a pandemic. On ESP Day, join us to honor and advocate for the ESPs who continue keeping students safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

We must elevate the important work ESPs do for our school communities and advocate for their professional respect. This includes advocating for better pay and benefits, providing access to more training, protecting jobs, and building back better to strengthen public education for all.

Ideas for celebrating:

• Host a virtual appreciation event for ESPs in your school or district using a video conferencing platform. Share photos (or screenshots) of the event on social media.
• Arrange a safe food or gift delivery for ESPs in your school or district.
• Encourage teachers, students, and parents to mail or email a thank you letter to ESPs in their schools.
• Give a social media shout out to ESPs who have been going above and beyond to help school communities during this pandemic. You can get creative through photos, videos, and more! Use #WeLoveOurESPs in your posts.
• More ways to take action on ESP Day