Growing a High Quality Youth Program
Industry
Nonprofit/Charity
Overview
The Shasta Family YMCA serves children from diverse and under-served backgrounds, with many food- and home-insecure. Their summer learning program offers academic support and enrichment activities to help students rediscover their passion for learning in a safe and encouraging environment.
Expanding Program Capacity
Since its inception, the summer program has expanded from 60 to over 300 children—growth that has been manageable and sustainable thanks to the efficiency of the Arly platform. Staff can now manage logistics easily, freeing up time to focus on meaningful connections with students and families.
Arly Solutions
Total Management Experience, Scholar Zone Academic Curriculum-Summer, Renaissance Star Testing, Arly Explorers enrichment curriculum
Because of the Arly platform and its efficiency, we can serve our hearts and our passion serving children, building families up, and connecting community.
Helen Meléndez-Vela
Director of Youth & Staff Development, Shasta Family YMCA
The professional development courses in Arly were very helpful.
Tyler Goodlow
Teachers Assistant
The curriculum Arly provides is much more engaging and exciting for the children. It is all laid out for the teachers, so we can focus on helping the kids.
Stephanie Feagan
4th grade teacher
We have really high standards for our students. Knowing that we have Arly to fall back on, we are able to implement all the pieces we need to make that happen, so the students are being served as well as possible.
Mistee Gutierrez
Curriculum Coach
About the Shasta Family YMCA Summer Learning Program
Power Scholars Academy is a four-week summer learning loss prevention program designed to tackle summer learning loss for students while supporting the academic, physical, social and emotional development of the youth. Through the generous support of Enterprise Elementary School District, this program is fully-funded and at-risk students can participate in this program for free.Challenge
Running such a program with limited resources can be daunting. Administrators need a streamlined process for planning, communication, instruction, and staffing. Before adopting Arly, the program relied on paper-based systems and struggled with inefficiencies in coordination, data collection, and staff training. The lack of centralized information made it harder to track student engagement and retention.
The Solution
Today, the Shasta Family YMCA uses Arly's comprehensive platform to streamline every aspect of the program—from registration and attendance tracking to curriculum management and parent communication. This helps staff focus on providing consistent, high-quality instruction and attention to children without getting bogged down in administrative tasks.
"Arly has been a game-changer for us," shared Helen. "It simplifies everything, allowing us to invest more time and energy into what we love most: helping children grow and thrive."
Key Benefits
- Tackling the Summer Slide: Arly provides staff with easy access to curriculum that sparks excitement in both teachers and students. In just four weeks, they are able to turn the summer slide into the summer climb.
- Streamlined Operations: Arly is instrumental in the planning process, the execution and program wrap-up by consolidating tools, resources, and program data. It's easy to track progress, facilitate learning, and communicate with families.
- Professional Development: Arly's extensive training resources help reignite teachers' passion for education and provide them with tools to better engage students. Both seasoned educators and new staff find the platform invaluable for preparing to deliver high-quality lessons.
- Data-Driven Insights: Administrators are able to assess program success, evaluate what works, and share with their school district and board. This has helped Shasta Y grow from serving 60 children to over 300 in just a few years.
The Results
Since adopting Arly, Shasta Family YMCA has seen significant improvements in both student engagement and staff satisfaction. Children are reengaging with learning, gaining confidence, and developing life skills through fun activities. The staff returns year after year, drawn by the organized structure and the positive impact they witness in the students.
For the Shasta Family YMCA, Arly has been a game changer, providing the tools to run an effective, scalable program that serves the community's most vulnerable children. The platform's comprehensive resources, ease of use, and ability to foster consistency among staff learning and instruction have enabled the program to grow and thrive.