The end of the school year marks a milestone for many of us. Kindergarteners who nervously faced the first day of school are confidently moving up to first grade, elementary schoolers are graduating to middle school and middle schoolers are heading off to the new adventure of high school. Personally, my youngest child is graduating from high school and moving on to college so I’m particularly reflective this year. Regardless, all our schedules are shifting, plans for summer are sorting, and everyone has a case of spring fever. I love it!
Thinking back to the beginning of the school year, I went on my Very Important Parents tour, taking time to visit each site and connect with parents and AYS kids one-on-one. If you know me, you know I like plain talk. Straight up. Throughout that tour, you didn’t shy away from sharing your concerns with me, the positive impact that our programs have made in your families’ lives, and your hopes for the future of AYS. I took all of it to heart and I let your words guide my efforts this year.
Our top priority following the tour was a customer service system that ensured a timely and human response. In January we launched the Family Access and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) and introduced a dedicated parent hotline. I see this an important step forward in our continuous quality improvement and accessibility efforts.
We have also focused efforts on improving our registration, billing, and caregiver communications system, which we expect to launch shortly with the 26/27 school year enrollment. The new system allows us to offer new flexible care plans, a drop-in plan, and a Caregiver App to manage your account and receive site-specific communications.
Our programs took great strides by offering new enrichment opportunities that included multi-school sports competitions, Art with a Heart curriculum, and academic tutoring supports. Our pilots were very successful, and we are looking forward to expanding these programs next year.
Lastly, with the leadership of the AYS Board of Directors and input from parents and our school partners, we completed the FY30 Strategic Plan. It will guide our long-term planning towards 1.) doubling down on program quality 2.) increasing accessibility while maintaining financial sustainability and 3.) developing new ideas that further realize our mission with diverse funding streams and expanded programs.
We accomplished all of this while weathering unexpected funding cuts, rising operating costs, and workforce challenges. In the face of these difficulties, we have come together, focused on solutions and kept our kids’ health and well-being at the forefront of every decision. So, before the final bell rings for the year, I want to thank each one of you for being part of the AYS family and tip my hat to all of the hard work of our AYS team.
I hope to see many of you at AYS camps in the months ahead. Cheers to a safe, happy and healthy summer!
