[caption id="attachment_2833" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Left to right: Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D., CEO of BellXcel; Rashid Parham, 2023 Peterkin Award Winner; Antonio Battaglia, President & COO of BellXcel[/caption] 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! [caption id="attachment_2834" align="aligncenter" width="600"] 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[/caption]

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. On April 6th, 2023 during a company wide meeting BellXcel CEO, Dr. Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, announced the winner of the 2022 Peterkin Award, Denise Cage. Denise began her career with BellXcel in November 2021 and serves as the Assistant Director, Customer Experience. Throughout her tenure, Denise has earned the respect and admiration of colleagues across the organization. The announcement was met with an immediate wave of congrats and applause, offering further testament to how deserving Denise was of this honor. During Denise’s tenure at BellXcel, she has made the goals, concerns, and overall success of customers her number one priority. “Denise focuses on several details (for several different customers) at once, while maintaining a view for the high-level goal of customer experience and BellXcel efficiency,” said Danielle Caban, Director, Research & Analytics. “She worked through several customer needs related to evaluation and reporting with persistence, thoroughness, and an eye for getting the customer what they needed to serve their community while remaining mindful of internal BellXcel team structures, capacity, and value.” Denise is an incredible asset to the BellXcel team. “She consistently and beautifully demonstrates the BellXcel Values,” said Kris Murray, Associate Vice President, Account Development. Kris continued, “Denise serves as my eyes, ears, and intuition with customers, always letting me know when some additional support is needed. I trust her insights implicitly and can confidently move forward with the information that she shares with me.” Hailey Carter, a colleague within the Customer Experience team shared that “Denise works hard, yet quietly, behind the scenes. I just hope she knows that people notice all that she does for our customers!” Denise was incredibly honored, and surprised, to receive this recognition. When asked about receiving the award, Denise remarked, “It’s nice to take a step back and see that the work I do makes a difference.” Denise’s favorite part about working for BellXcel is being able to see the impact of her work. She said, “It’s one thing to be behind the computer, but a totally different thing to go to the sites and see the impact we make – it warms my heart and keeps me going.” Congratulations on this well deserved recognition, Denise!

In 2021, BellXcel commissioned the Sperling Center for Research and Innovation (SCRI) to study the potential effects of its partnership model on its partners’ internal systems (for example, practices, policies, operations) and external community ecosystems (relationships, power dynamics, funding). While this exploratory study was on a small qualitative scale, the ultimate goal is to develop a multi-year research strategy to understand and capture the impact and influence BellXcel has on its partners.This longerterm study will include developing a robust logic model and rigorous measurement strategies. Read the full case study

BellXcel is a nationally-recognized nonprofit that empowers youth program providers with innovative solutions, services and resources to scale and create meaningful impact across a variety of settings and communities.

Are you bold, creative, data-driven, and committed to innovation? These are just a few of the characteristics that embody the BellXcel team. Spanning from coast to coast our team is driven by a shared vision for all children to excel.

A leading supporter of BellXcel’s work, the Overdeck Family Foundation has funded BellXcel since 2019. ---- Gemma Lenowitz has served as a program officer in the Inspired Minds portfolio at the Overdeck Family Foundation since 2018. Previously, she served as a STEM coordinator and 12th grade lead at MESA Charter High School, where she founded and coached a robotics team, taught Bioengineering and Computer Science, and implemented edtech and project-based learning. BellXcel: What are your big-picture goals at Overdeck?  Gemma: Our mission is to measurably enhance education inside and outside the classroom. We focus exclusively on education, funding efforts both inside and outside of school in the areas of early childhood, informal STEM education, and K-9 programs that include supporting educators and student-centered learning environments. Our priority for the next three years is to continue to scale cost-effective models and organizations that accelerate improvement in academic and socioemotional outcomes for all kids. Specifically, we hope to use our grantmaking and strategic support to unlock innovation, build and strengthen organizational capacities, help grantees generate evidence, and support grantees in attracting follow-on funding. We will continue to fund research, learning, and measurement to ensure that we understand the outcomes of our grantmaking.  BellXcel: How does BellXcel fit into that picture? What caught your attention about the organization? Gemma: Thanks to the Institute for Educational Sciences, the Wallace Foundation and other evidence aggregators, there are reviews that demonstrate program effectiveness in alignment with ESSA’s tiered levels of evidence. Beyond BellXcel having the highest level of evidence, it was the breadth of research historically and in progress and the learning and improvement orientation of the team that stood out to me.   If you zoom out and think about after-school programs, they've been providing positive experiences for youth for decades, but it was clear that BellXcel was thinking about how to do that in the 21st century, leveraging edtech. The design is more efficient, with technology solutions that don’t replace human interaction, but actually eliminate some of the onerous administrative tasks so programs can operate more smoothly. What I quickly noticed about the platform is that it can actually give educators more time to plan great instruction, and more time with scholars. As a former teacher and coach, I knew those were two critical elements for student success. That's what caught our eye originally and why we chose to invest. BellXcel: What most excites/inspires you about BellXcel's work and future? Gemma: The first piece is just impact. We think the program can continue to have strong outcomes and provide the right delivery model for every site to see success for their kids. The second piece is that the tech enables a level of scalability. That's new, I think, to the out-of-school time field. They're the first SaaS Enterprise solution that I’ve heard about that centralizes all of the components on the platform, which makes it able to scale faster. And then on the other side of that, there's the demand. The contracts that BellXcel has won recently underscore that there are so many kids out there who could benefit from these services, and the adults in decision-making capacity in their communities believe that, too. I really appreciate that they are ready to deliver, because this moment asks so much of teachers and parents.  BellXcel: What excites you the most about philanthropy right now? Gemma: I'm really excited about the conversations about proximity and empathy in tech and in philanthropy. I think educator and student needs evolved faster than ever during COVID. And, educators and ed tech organizations need to stay on top of what's happening and develop services and products that resonate with their audience.  Funders didn't previously have a lot of insight into what their beneficiaries needed, and the grantee often acted as the intermediary. Now, I think funders can get much sharper insights into the current needs so that we're not relying on perception or old data. And, philanthropy is now more visibly and loudly encouraging nonprofits to make sure that their solution centers the experiences of their target population and that they use tools to gather better data. For example, we use the “net promoter” score with a lot of our grantees to understand the user experience on their platform or with their service. And now through the Fund for Shared Insight, (a group of philanthropists), and a service called Listen for Good, (a survey tool), we can put the end user’s voice at the forefront. By elevating the voices that are least heard in systems, we can match products and services to their specific needs. BellXcel: What are the greatest opportunities you see in K-12 education and OST?  Gemma: There are a lot of elements that were developed during COVID that we think should stay, including an increased focus on the home-school connection that will continue to be a focus for the foundation. This includes thinking about school readiness supports at home. What does it mean for a child to be school ready? What does it mean for a school to be ready for that child? There's a more racially and ethnically diverse set of students than ever before in public schools across the country this year, but they are also diverse in terms of interests and talents, too. So, how do we think about elevating those unique assets? In philanthropy, we’ll continue to support the scale of evidence-based practices and innovation to meet these and other new demands and challenges as they arise.  About Overdeck Family Foundation Founded in 2011 by John and Laura Overdeck, Overdeck Family Foundation's goal is to provide all children the opportunity to unlock their potential. Grantmaking and strategic support focus on unlocking innovation, evidence, and growth opportunities for organizations and researchers that are committed to accelerating key academic and socioemotional outcomes for all children.

Laura Grattan is Managing Director at Crosspoint Capital Partners. Prior to joining Crosspoint in 2021, she was a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners for more than 13 years, focusing on Technology and HCIT investing. Laura started her career as an investment professional in the Private Equity Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Laura has held an array of directorships including with inVentiv Health, Inc., Alfresco Software, Inc., Juvare, iHeartMedia, Inc. and a board observer at Univision Communications, Inc. In addition to serving on the BellXcel Board of Directors, she is also on the board of Boston Scores, a local soccer-based education nonprofit. She holds an A.B., summa cum laude, in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

[caption id="attachment_646" align="alignleft" width="231"] Lauren Sanchez Gilbert[/caption] President Biden’s FY22 budget request proposes strong and necessary investments in youth development. Summer and afterschool providers nationwide would have the critical opportunity to provide the level of programming required to address the losses our youth have experienced over the past year. BellXcel’s decades of experience in evidence-based, high quality youth programming propels me to spotlight the urgency of whole-child investments in communities across the country.  Our youth need high-quality summer and afterschool experiences to thrive academically and emotionally and to grow beyond the school day. Investing in programming based in evidence and adaptable to meet the unique needs of each community is critical. A one-size fits most approach will only further exacerbate and expose the inherent inequity so prevalent in our education system. True possibility of economic mobility begins early in life when all children have access to a strong pipeline of high-quality activities throughout their youth. Our evidence proves that providing local educators and youth leaders with the tools, resources, professional learning, and support they need to build impactful learning experiences leads to real improved outcomes. We have witnessed first-hand, many times over, that the greatest impact can be made by serving each child, through the adults that they know, with strategies that work.  These are remarkable times to be a leader in youth development and education and I thank President Biden for this historic proposal.  Highlights of some of President Biden’s FY22 budget request include: $20B for new Title 1 Equity Grants to support unserved communities $1.3B for 21st Century Community Learning Centers to boost out of school time programming, including teacher professional development $443M for Full-Service Community Schools for comprehensive services to youth and their families, from afterschool to health/nutrition services $1B for new School-Based Health Professionals to double the number of counselors, nurses and mental health professionals in schools $16B for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to support special education and related services Pre-K through 12   Our BellXcel team is committed to partnering with youth organizations and schools to maximize the quality of their programming for youth, educators, and families in communities nationwide. President Biden’s historic budget proposal gives us all a momentous leg up to ensure all children can excel!    Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer BellXcel

  Amidst the most challenging summer of 2020, a light shone bright at the Southeast Ventura County YMCA. 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. [caption id="attachment_1360" align="alignleft" width="225"] Julie Birkett, BellXcel Educator of the Year 2020[/caption] 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 Y. 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. Lauren remarked, “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.” 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.

It’s a bustling summer morning outside of Seaton Elementary School in the historic Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Eager children, led by their parents, stream into the school. They come from different age groups, races and backgrounds, but they share something in common. The children, enrolled in the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington’s school-based Power Scholar Academy (PSA), are all excited to learn. As the K-6 scholars kick off their day, they are greeted with a familiar, endearing smile. “Good morning Ms. Janice!” the scholars exclaim one by one, as they greet Janice Williams in the lobby. With smiles radiating from ear to ear, the enrolled students, known as scholars, then embark on a full day of learning and enrichment at the Y’s summer learning program, powered by BellXcel. Since 2013, the evidence-based summer program has empowered thousands of children through a holistic learning experience that has boosted scholars’ academic and social-emotional skills, as well as their self-confidence. “Every day is a day where you’ll find scholars running to the program because they are excited about what they gain,” says Williams, YMCA of Metropolitan’s Senior Vice President for Program Development. For her local community, Williams is more than a nonprofit administrator. She is a tireless and passionate supporter of expanding afterschool and summer learning for children from under-resourced communities. She has been with the YMCA for nearly 45 years, and with PSA since its inception. “Many of our schools that are in under-resourced communities don't have the opportunity to meet the needs of all of the students that they have identified as struggling students,” she says. “We're able to identify the particular area of challenge for scholars, and really put the resources in place to guide them to be more successful.” “We have been so fortunate to have BellXcel’s support in Washington, D.C. Before, there were camp programs. There was summer school. But there was something missing,” Williams said. “PSA is among the best programs out there because it not only provides opportunity for academic support, it also provides opportunities for scholars to learn new things through enrichment. It's supported by committed educators who want to be a part of a program that allows them to connect and provide young people with the social-emotional learning that is critically needed.” With an educator to scholar ratio of 2 to 24, William says the program’s small group environments are a key differentiator. In each classroom, a certified teacher and teaching assistant lead individual, small group, and whole group exercises, in dynamic learning environments. With the utilization of instructional coaches and other support staff rotating, it is not uncommon to see upwards of three to four educators in a classroom, all working together to provide an exceptional high-touch learning experience. “This kind of learning style really does impact our ability to provide them with the necessary support to thrive,” Williams says. “There is a high value in that child-centered learning. We are also excited about the peer-to-peer learning that the program supports and empowers.” PSA also empowered educators with 21st century instructional skills and strategies they can transmit into the classroom in the school year. Among teachers surveyed, 87 percent said site leaders were highly supportive of educators; 89 percent said teaching in PSA was rewarding, while 80 percent of teachers want to work with the program again. “We are pretty fortunate to be able to have scholars that are receiving something during the course of the summer, as well as educators, who apply their learnings into the classroom in the fall,” says Williams. “The partnership is critical because BellXcel allows the YMCA to present itself to the community with a stamp of excellence. They bring the kind of skills and resources that are going to enhance the school community and allow it to reach the level and the goals that the school has in mind.” Williams says the demand for evidence-based summer learning programs in her community remains high, and advocates for continued support. “I would truly invite any funder to go and visit a site. It is truly something that you have to witness to be able to see what the scholars are receiving and the type of investment that is being made, and having scholars learn, thrive, and really the impact on not only the summer learning, but the true impact that it allows, and the potential of each and every scholar to succeed and excel.”   [embed]https://youtu.be/sW6lBeXp9gc[/embed]

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