Message from the Executive Director – 2012/2013
Message from the Chair – 2012/2013
The past year at ABC Head Start was one of excitement and evolution. Under the
direction of our new Executive Director, Andrea Hesse, the agency implemented
significant changes that will be the foundation of the organization for years to come.
ABC went through an extensive strategic planning process that identifies key areas for
the agency to focus.
In 2012-2013 we again had a record number of families served by our program. For the
2013-2014 school year, ABC we will have the largest growth in the 28 year history of our
program - over 80 additional families will benefit from the ABC program, bringing our
total enrollment to over 450. A new gala event will also be held in the spring of 2014 –
Tapestry. This event will celebrate the multi-cultural nature of the families that ABC Head
Start serves. ABC is the largest head start program in Edmonton and as the Chair of the
board it is a privilege to be associated with such a wonderful organization that helps so
many families.
ABC is built on a foundation of outstanding staff, teachers, volunteers and funders.
Without the dedication that each one of these groups delivers everyday, the program
could not exist – and certainly would not have grown to serve over 450 families. The
board of directors thanks you for your effort, dedication, time and resources. We are
very excited about what the agency has achieved and the coming year.
Brendan Storey, Chair
ABC Head Start Board of Directors
Along with providing early learning and family and community supports to a record 386
children and families in 24 classrooms and 13 locations in 2012/2013 we also spent
the year setting the stage for the future. We completed an organizational review and
restructuring of our leadership and administration teams and completed a strategic
planning process that challenged us to reflect on our mission and vision and what we
do well as well as open our minds to the opportunities and challenges that lie before us
as an organization. We engaged our parents, our staff, our supporters and partners and
reflected on what we have achieved and the lessons learned, the changing environment
in which we work and the priorities and needs of our children and families. Our Strategic
Directions to 2020 will guide our work with families, partners and communities to
continue “working with families and their preschool children to achieve success in
learning and life”.
Despite significant growth in the program over the past 5 years, one of the priorities
we consistently heard was finding a way to meet the continued need for programming
evidenced by waitlists and families unable to access programs. Through taking a critical
look at our service delivery model and resources we were able to open intake in March
for a targeted number of 468 children and families in 26 classrooms for September
2013. We also began developing new projects such as the Kitchen Project and new
partnerships to increase our capacity to collaboratively meet the need of our
communities.
As we move forward into the future we know that we are only able to take on the
challenges we have set for ourselves because of the extraordinary commitment of our
staff, our volunteers, our partners, funders and supporters and the children and families
who teach us important lessons and walk this journey with us every day. Thank you to
all of you who made a difference with us in 2012/2013 and who are joining with as we go
forward “opening doors for children and families” in 2013/2014.
Andrea Hesse
ABC Headstart Annual Report 2012 - 2013
ABC Headstart Annual Report 2012 - 2013
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