SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 – Newly inducted members of the Rise Fellowship gathered in Denver to participate in the inaugural Rise Summit. Dedicated to the positive progress of out-of-school time programs across rural and Indigenous communities, Rise Initiative designed the Summit to bring together OST youth program leaders with diverse perspectives and experiences to delve into key topics including hiring practices, program administration, fundraising, culture & climate, and data collection and evaluation. 

Featuring sessions detailing the unique needs of rural communities, how to counteract the investment gap from private and public funding sources, research-based approaches to greater resilience for Indigenous peoples and communities, and more, the Summit presented a well-rounded approach to delivering high-quality programs for youth in these underserved communities.  

Nine new Rise Fellows partook in professional development, collaboration, and action-planning commitments during the Summit and came away with action plans to implement into their 2024 afterschool programs. Over the coming year, the fellows will continue to engage and assess progress in their organizations and will reconvene in person next summer to discuss and evaluate the first year of the program.

Following the Summit, an anonymous survey was delivered to the fellows with all participants highly rating their experience. One fellow shared, “It was great connecting with others from different backgrounds. The presenters and facilitators have great hearts and really want to support us.” Another succinctly summed up their experience, “Incredible people, doing great work. It was inspiring!” There is a clear excitement and commitment amongst the fellows to return to their communities to implement the knowledge and practices shared at the Rise Summit. 

MEET THE FELLOWS

Why Rise?

Rural and Native communities are impacted at higher rates by the lack of access to safe, high-quality out-of-school time programs. In rural communities, summer learning loss is significantly higher than in non-rural communities, eliminating any advantage seen from school-year monthly growth over non-rural students . And native children are 237% more likely to drop out of school than their white peers. 

The need to address the lack of access to quality OST programs in these communities is personal for BellXcel’s CEO, Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. She remarked, “Growing up in New Mexico, I saw firsthand the lack of opportunities for youth to participate in activities beyond the school day. The research proves how critical high-quality experiences are to childhood development, yet children in rural and Indigenous/Native communities often lack access to these programs. I am very proud to launch an initiative that can leverage all of the research, along with our tools and know-how, to take direct aim at improving opportunities in rural America.”

By investing specifically in these communities, BellXcel hopes to raise national attention to the important role that out-of-school time programs play in rural and Native areas. High-quality educational programs can help reduce dropout rates and increase outcomes for youth. BellXcel is committed to the belief that programs are most effective when they serve young people where they live, through adults they know, with proven strategies for impact.

The Rise Fellowship program is supported by the philanthropic investment of the New York Life Foundation (NYL). NYL has been a generous partner of BellXcel for more than ten years, supporting growth to new communities and expanded academic and enrichment curriculum for at-risk youth. “We’re thrilled that New York Life shares our commitment to build the capacity of local organizations and the talented people who lead them, so they can offer meaningful learning experiences in their communities,” said Chief Impact Officer, Damon Johnson.

JANUARY 31, 2024 – Pursue our mission with energy and purpose; innovate bold, intuitive solutions; embrace personal responsibility; promote collaboration; trust and inclusiveness; empower results and impact – these are the core values of BellXcel. The annual Peterkin Award, named after Dr. Robert B. Peterkin, a pioneer in educational leadership and past BellXcel Board Director, celebrates the employee, nominated by their colleagues, that best exemplifies the organization’s core values.

In January, BellXcel hosted its biennial company-wide convening in Boston, MA. The event included an evening gala and award ceremony where BellXcel CEO, Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, announced the winner of the 2023 Peterkin Award, Rashid Parham. Rashid began his career with BellXcel in 2008, making him one of BellXcel’s longest-serving employees. He currently serves as the Senior Director, Information Systems. The announcement was met with enthusiastic cheers of congrats and applause, offering further testament to how deserving Rashid was of this honor.

Throughout his employment with BellXcel, Rashid has gone above and beyond in his role. As part of the organization for nearly 16 years, Rashid has witnessed BellXcel go through many transformations and has played a huge role in what the company is today. One colleague put it perfectly stating, “Rashid is BellXcel’s biggest champion, working with the HR team and all the teams at BX trying to make sure our needs are met.”

Throughout his nominations, a recurring theme was Rashid’s enthusiastic, friendly, and welcoming spirit. Many colleagues mentioned his willingness to help, one stating that, “though we don’t work together often, every time our paths do cross he has a smile on his face and is happy to answer my questions, no matter how silly they seem.” Another nominator mentioned that, “Rashid is a walking embodiment of so many of BellXcel’s values,” and goes on to say that Rashid cares deeply about BellXcel’s mission and sees the connection between it and his daily work.

Rashid was shocked by the announcement. As a veteran BellXcel employee, Rashid has witnessed the Peterkin Award evolve over the years and has seen it be awarded many times. He noted that it was an incredible honor to be recognized by both his peers and to be able to join the elite group of colleagues selected as Peterkin Award recipients. When asked about his role at BellXcel Rashid remarked, “My commitment to this organization is different than many others, as I have a child who was once a BellXcel scholar.” He is incredibly loyal to BellXcel’s mission and values and loves being devoted to something bigger than himself. His proudest moment while working at BellXcel has been the opportunity to witness the organization transform from a direct service model to scalable software solution.

Rashid shared that his favorite part of working for BellXcel has been the people. He highlighted BellXcel’s amazing ability to hire the best people for a role and their willingness to take chances when hiring. He felt humbled to be recognized among some of BellXcel’s hardest working employees including this year’s runner-ups for the Peterkin Award, Nicole Warehime and Ina Hyseni.

Ina Hyseni serves as the Lead Backend Developer and is our longest serving employee within the engineering team. She has seen BellXcel and the Arly platform through many transformations. In her nominations, several colleagues noted her dedication to BellXcel’s mission, ability to lead initiatives and bring others up to speed, and her hardworking positive attitude.

Nicole Warehime serves as the Director, Product Marketing. Nicole is the ‘voice’ of our platform and has brought our product marketing capabilities to life for Arly. Her efforts have been critical in ensuring the sales and customer experience teams have the resources and tools necessary to meet BellXcel’s future goals. In her nominations, multiple colleagues noted Nicole’s consistent responsiveness, her willingness to collaborate, and her commitment to our customers.

Congratulations to all of our recipients on this well-deserved recognition!

Left to right: Ina Hyseni, Lead Backend Developer, 2023 Peterkin Award Runner-up; Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert Ed.D, CEO of BellXcel; Rashid Parham, 2023 Peterkin Award Winner; Nicole Warehime, Director, Product Marketing, 2023 Peterkin Award Runner-up

FEBRUARY 29, 2024 – Each year, the Arly Impact Awards honor dedicated individuals making an extraordinary impact on the children in their community.

The Rising Star award recognizes an emerging leader in youth programming, and the Educator of the Year celebrates an educator, leader, or staff member who goes above and beyond to ensure that children, their coworkers, and the community thrive.

Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D., CEO of BellXcel and Arly, personally presented these awards during surprise in-person visits to each winner. This year’s travels took her to New Hampshire and Texas.

Let’s meet the 2023 Arly Impact Award winners and delve into their remarkable achievements!

Academy Site Director of the YMCA of Greater Nashua, Merrimack Branch in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Angelique ‘Angel’ Demanche, was recognized as the Arly Rising Star Impact Award recipient.

Angel is highly celebrated by her colleagues as someone who instills a love of learning in children. “It takes humility and compassion to impart knowledge and ignite a love for learning in children and educators, and Angel possesses both,” said YMCA of Greater Nashua Executive Director of Education, Carlisa Choate.

Yesenia Gonzales, 21st Century District Director of Jubilee Academies in Brownsville, Texas, was recognized as the Arly Educator of the Year.

She is praised as a problem solver who never lets obstacles slow her down. “Yesenia operates with integrity and always wants to do the best work in the right way,” said RGV Associate Superintendent, Sandra Gonzales. “When she messes up, she dusts herself off and focuses on how she can do better the next day.”

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to personally present the Arly Impact Awards to both Angel and Yesenia and celebrate the inspiring effect they’ve had on their respective programs,” said Dr. Sanchez Gilbert. “We honor their commitment to ensuring the children in their communities are supported with enriching opportunities that light the way to brighter futures and bigger dreams.”

The Arly Impact Awards annually draw in a large pool of peer-nominated candidates nationwide. When considering nominations, we prioritize individuals who exhibit the following qualities:

• Demonstrates a committed pursuit of their mission with energy and purpose
• Innovates with bold, intuitive solutions
• Embraces personal responsibility
• Fosters collaboration, trust, and inclusiveness
• Empowers results and impact

Additionally, this year, we are introducing a new element: recognition of the 2023 runners-up for each award category. Stay updated by following us on LinkedIn.

About the YMCA of Greater Nashua
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Nashua facilities, located in both Nashua and Merrimack, engage over 39,000 men, women and children annually – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. For more information about the YMCA visit, www.nmymca.org.

About Jubilee Academies
Jubilee Academies is an open-enrollment charter school based in San Antonio, Texas, with over 20 years of providing quality education to our community. The district enrolls students from Pre-(K)4 through 12th grade. There are 12 campuses currently serving communities throughout Texas, including San Antonio, Austin, Kingsville, and the Rio Grande Valley. Each campus provides a safe and structured environment focused on leadership, academics, and a balance of mind and body for lifetime success. For more information about Jubilee Academies, visit www.jubileeacademies.org.

MARCH 24, 2022 – BellXcel is proud to be among the latest beneficiaries of MacKenzie Scott’s transformational giving movement as announced yesterday through her essay, Helping Any of Us Can Help Us All. News of this gift comes at an especially exciting moment in BellXcel history as we pursue our vision for all children to have the opportunity to excel. Scott’s generous contribution presents BellXcel with the opportunity to accelerate plans for innovative technology investment and high-impact initiatives we have laid groundwork for over the past few years.

We are deeply grateful to MacKenzie Scott and her team for leading the charge in empowering organizations who, as Scott said in one of her earlier essays, are “on the front lines of challenges and will know best how to put the money to good use.” We are humbled to be among the many organizations working to build a more equitable world each day.

Innovating to Meet the Moment: How BellXcel leveraged strategic alliances and disruptive thinking to create a new solution in response to COVID-19

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 – This past March, as schools and youth development organizations nationwide found themselves faced with reimagining how they serve their communities, our team did what we have done best throughout our history – innovated to meet the moment. With a 6-week timeline, our team took 30 years of science and know-how, lifted by the support of our community, and dug into our commitment for all children to excel.

COVID-19 forced changes to virtually every aspect of life as we knew it, yet along with the unknowns and the very real crisis this pandemic represented, before us was an opportunity to disrupt our thinking and mobilize our resources into unchartered territory.

We invite you to share in the story of BellXcel Remote.

Download Story

OCTOBER 21, 2019 – Wabash is a small, tight-knit community, with a population of just over 10,000, located in the north central part of Indiana. While rich in local pride and natural beauty, it is a struggling community, with over 13-percent of its residents living below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Prior to the Power Scholars Academy (PSA) programming in rural Wabash, Indiana, Stacey Fry, Director of Youth Development at Wabash County YMCA, recalls driving by homes over the summer and seeing children sitting idly on front steps, or playing outdoors alone.

“That drive home from work felt sad,” she reminisces. “We saw a need for summer learning. Our local districts weren’t able to provide that, but the need still existed.”

Now, every summer, many of those same children can be found immersed in local schools, gaining key academic and social-emotional skills. The summer learning program combines fun, dynamic literacy and math instruction with hands-on enrichment, making for a holistic experience that prepares scholars for school-year success.

“They are learning in a classroom setting and it feels good,” said Fry. “When we all work together, the children benefit.”

In 2015, in their quest to address the achievement gap in their local community, the Wabash County YMCA in partnership with the Y USA Achievement Gap programming connected with BellXcel. The program has earned measurable scholar and educator outcomes ever since.

“That’s why we still have a partnership with the schools, because we provide a good return on investment. They are able to show their students are making strides in the summer,” Fry says.

Professional Development Equips Educators

Teacher empowerment via BellXcel’s professional development is at the core of the PSA program. Prior to the summer program, educators receive in-person and virtual training in program administration, curriculum & instruction, culture & climate, evaluation & assessment, family engagement, and scholar management. Professional development prepares partners to implement a high-quality summer program that meets the needs of their learning community.

“One good benefit of being a BellXcel partner is the trust. If we have challenges, there is a whole team of people who are ready to help us,” says Fry.

Academic teachers in Wabash are all local certified school teachers. This ensures that instruction is of the highest caliber, and aligned with school year success.

“We are able through BellXcel to offer so much more professional development in a concentrated way, than what teachers receive over the school year.”

One of Fry’s poignant stories that captures the program’s power involves a PSA academic instructor who has been a local educator for over 20 years. The educator expressed that she was drawn to PSA due to its intentional instruction, and small group environments. The PSA program in Wabash maintains a ratio of 1 academic teacher to 12 scholars.

“She said to me, ‘I get to see these kids I saw before in a whole different light. I pour into them academically, but have the opportunity to see their creative side and that’s lost in the school-year classroom,” Fry says. “She sees these glimpses and that touched me. She gets revitalized with the same kids she spends time with during the school year.”

Strengthening Schools

The PSA has also helped connect the local Y with local schools over the summer and combine resources to offer much more than the usual summer camp type activities such as sports and recreation. She also credits the Y’s strong relationship with the State of Indiana’s Department of Education and local school districts to address the achievement gap.

“I have the privilege of deepening those relationships, and working closely with the school principals, to ensure they are seeing the outcomes and are connected to our mission,” she says. “Schools are working as hard as they can. They don’t have significant resources to move that needle. So, it’s nice to fill in that gap and take that off their plate so they can focus on what they do best.”

Safe Environment to Thrive

PSA is not only addressing the educational gap. Educators have also seen some secondary benefits, such as keeping children occupied, safe, and healthy. Often, Fry says, parents leave their children at home with older siblings, a less than ideal situation. Summer scholars receive free breakfast, snack and lunch and the program is provided at no cost to participating families.

“For most of their summer, we are able to nourish them and enrich them in a safe environment,” Fry says. “We are in a childcare desert. If we can lower the stresses faced by parents, it positively impacts the scholars.”

 

Amidst the most challenging summer of 2020, a light shone bright at the Southeast Ventura County YMCA.

 

APRIL 8, 2021 – Julie Birkett, Site Director for the Y’s Find My Genius program, deftly led one of the few in-person summer programs anywhere in Southern California and has been named BellXcel’s 2020 Educator of the Year. As a leading national nonprofit in youth development, BellXcel recognizes outstanding educators dedicated to scholar success.

The award recognizes an educator who best exemplifies BellXcel’s core values of excellence, learning, respect, courage and collaboration. Julie was chosen out of more than 1,000 educators nationwide and her program served 140 rising 1st through 5th grade scholars.

Julie has been involved with the summer program at the Southeast Ventura County YMCA since the program launched in summer 2018, the same year she was honored as the Teacher of the Year for the Greater Conejo Valley. Fueled by her passion to make a difference in the lives of her scholars, Julie served as an academic teacher in 2018 and 2019 before stepping into a leadership capacity as Site Director amidst the tumultuous atmosphere of summer 2020.

Leaning into her dedication and experience, Julie steadfastly managed family and staff safety concerns and constantly-changing county health department protocols while ensuring a high-quality learning experience for scholars. She never lost sight of the high standards that the Y set for their Find My Genius program and the results speak for themselves. Scholars gained more than 3 months in ELA and Math skills and reported an average daily attendance of 88%.

A Zooming Surprise

Julie was informed of the honor during a board meeting for the YMCA. BellXcel CEO Lauren Sanchez Gilbert joined the Zoom call as a special guest and shared the news with the group and our very surprised and extraordinarily worthy recipient. Moments later Julie’s doorbell rang and she was presented with the award and a bouquet of flowers.

“It is my honor and privilege to recognize Julie as the BellXcel 2020 Educator of the Year. Set against the backdrop of a global pandemic and the unprecedented challenges educators have faced, it is especially inspiring to witness Julie’s embodiment of everything that this award represents,” remarked Lauren.

As summer 2021 draws closer and COVID-19 restrictions ease, a celebration in Julie’s honor is planned for this summer to be shared with her colleagues and the scholars she cherishes. We look forward to sharing more of the celebration and fun!

About Find My Genius, Southeast Ventura County YMCA

Find My Genius is a special, no-cost summer learning program launched by the Southeast Ventura County YMCA to help children catch up, stay on track or get ahead on their reading and math skills while providing summer camp fun! To qualify, children must be on free or reduced-priced lunch program and score below grade level at their school. For more information, visit www.sevymca.org.

SEPT. 1, 2024 – We’re thrilled to announce that BellXcel has earned Great Place to Work Certification for the third year in a row. 

Great Place to Work Certification consists of a two-step process that includes employees completing a survey about their company experience and a short questionnaire about the workforce. BellXcel has maintained their Great Place to Work Certification since 2022. 

When asked about company culture at BellXcel, 97% of employees felt that BellXcel was a great place to work compared to 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. Some of the top comments that came to mind when asked “Why work at BellXcel?” were the PTO policy, culture, remote-first environment, sabbatical, and work life balance. 

Along with Great Place to Work Certification, BellXcel has been recognized on two of Fortune Magazine’s Best Workplaces Lists – Best Workplace for Millennials (Small and Medium) and Best Small Workplace. List rankings are based on employee feedback in the Great Place to Work survey and compared with other companies. BellXcel is honored to receive this recognition.

About Great Place to Work Certification™

Great Place to Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employer-of-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified.

MARCH 1, 2021 – Scholars are not the only ones benefitting from YMCA of Greater San Antonio’s Power Scholar Academy (PSA). In fact, the BellXcel model is driven by the belief that the key to scholar success is educator empowerment.

“BellXcel has wonderful resources online and teacher toolkits that we use for a successful summer and in our careers for years to come,” said Bonnie Cavazos, instructional coach, who has served as the school librarian for 15 years, and as a local educator for over 27 years in the San Antonio school district. “We collaborate with each other as educators. We are all colleagues with a common goal.”

Educators say the summer program presents an opportunity to learn how to teach other grade levels. It also serves as a dynamic environment for mentoring and networking. Educators are not only connecting and building relationships with students, but with each other, in powerful ways. Younger teachers collaborate with more experienced ones, picking up new skills along the way.

Academic instructors also receive support from instructional coaches, who are experienced school teachers, creating a cycle of continuous learning and improvement. Cavazos and Carrol visit all classes throughout the day after testing and data analysis to observe classrooms, speak to scholars, support instruction, or jump in and guide discussion.

“Our role is to serve as a supportive pillow,” Amber Carroll, instructional coach and elementary teacher, says with a laugh. “We bounce ideas off teachers to make sure things run smoothly. We look at data to see where students should be, and have conversations with teachers to see how we can grow towards success. BellXcel gives us a great scope and sequence for us to follow.”

For many educators, the summer program represents an excellent opportunity to polish their skills and grow in their professional careers. “Working with different teachers and students in a different capacity, and gaining experience over the summer, is preparing me for a more effective school year, and a leadership position in the future,” said Carroll, who is nearing her degree to become a certified principal.

Educators say the BellXcel-powered summer program also boosts their motivation for teaching as its delivered in a more relaxed environment in smaller group environments, with increased support as compared to the school year.

“We’re having fun. We’re engaging,” said Carroll. “We see our class sizes so large during the school year, it’s hard to have that targeted instruction. Coming in as a teacher, you don’t have to teach to a test. You don’t have to worry about an end-game. We just want to make sure students get access to the learning they need, where they’re at. It’s a completely different world than teaching in the school year.”

 

Summer can be a good time to boost teacher practices

Opportunities for practicing student-centered skills and developmental feedback is more critical than ever

JANUARY 1, 2021 – Ninety-nine percent of teachers engaged in some type of summer professional learning activities in 2019 and applied relevant strategies and tools to improve their school year practices. Yet, according to a first-ever national survey of teachers’ summer professional learning highlighted in a recent RAND Corporation study, opportunities for developmental feedback as part of summer professional learning were uncommon. On the heels of the COVID-19 crisis and extended school closures, access to high-quality professional learning experiences for teachers is more critical than ever.

RAND surveyed K-12 teachers nationally through its American Teacher Panel (ATP) and studied BellXcel Summer (BXS), an evidence-based summer program model that provides academic instruction, rooted in social and emotional learning (SEL), to students and professional learning opportunities for teachers. The study explored the national context of professional learning, including teacher perceptions of their experiences, and investigated how BXS teacher experiences compare with those in other programs across the country.

The research evidence is clear that summer is a prime opportunity for children to strengthen academic and social and emotional skills, and teachers to strengthen their professional development, through high-quality, evidence-based programs. Study co-author, Elizabeth D. Steiner, a policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization, commented,

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequities that affect students’ ability to learn and nearly all students have been affected by school closures. Our survey of teachers found those employed in summer programs that provide academic instruction could also improve in certain classroom practices during the school year – particularly strategies to support students’ SEL and positive behavior management.”

BellXcel CEO Lauren Gilbert, Ed.D, a former educator and school administrator, remarked,

“Summer programs are more critical than ever to mitigate learning loss, and this study clearly demonstrates that teachers need to be part of that catch-up initiative. Programs such as those powered by BXS offer teachers powerful, on-the-job professional development opportunities to freely explore and expand their student-centered instruction skills and practices – including positive behavior management and social and emotional learning, without the pressures and constraints of the school year.”

Academic summer programs for students—run by school districts and community-based youth development organizations alike—can incorporate teacher professional learning into their own summer programs. The findings in this study can help school leaders and program administrators to make teacher professional learning an intentional piece of their programs and focus on strategies that teachers can use during the school year.

Key Findings:

• Nationally, 99 percent of teachers participated in one or more professional learning activities over the summer and believed that they were relevant, helpful for improving instructional practice, and just as useful as other activities the teachers’ schools and districts provided. However, opportunities to receive developmental feedback (i.e., feedback for the purpose of developing instructional skills) about instruction in the summer were uncommon.
• Teaching in an academic-focused summer program may provide teachers nationally with opportunities—such as coaching and observations—to receive developmental feedback about instruction and to practice and improve in certain classroom practices.
• According to teachers, BellXcel Summer (BXS), an academic-focused summer program for students that provides professional learning opportunities to its teachers, had a positive and supportive environment that supported their professional learning.
• BXS teachers reported that the absence of school-year constraints such as testing and curriculum pacing requirements made the use of some student-centered classroom practices easier during the summer than during the school year.
• BXS teachers were more likely than teachers nationally to report that their summer professional learning experiences helped them improve their use of student-centered practices during the school year.
• Academic summer programs may provide unique professional learning opportunities for teachers to practice and improve their use of student-centered classroom practices—particularly positive behavior management and promoting social and emotional learning for students. BXS provided useful insights into the features of academic summer programs that may facilitate teachers’ professional learning, such as the absence of school-year constraints paired with positive and supportive teaching environments.

Read the full case study!