September Comes Early This Year

The summer was wet. The heat of the day built up and then spilled over the area of Greater Boston brining inches of rain and then, for a few hours or the night, cool weather. Now, the end of August, the cool weather has already made an appearance making many wonder if this winter will be cold and long. This September air reminds us that the academic year is to again start up and all that planning from summer is de facto finished as the schools dust off their classrooms and prepare to take up the challenge of the coming year while Out-of-School programs vie for space, resources, and working with the new structures placed upon them by Extended Day and other schemes to increase formal instructional time.

Can we still run programs and teach the children and youth in our care with the rising costs of basic products? Our summer may have been spent asking just this question. Will enrollment be down? What will the next increase in costs be? Will schools become more collaborative, or will budgets strain existing programs and shutter them completely? Can we build quality programs that access learning in different ways and work on improving Out-of-School time point of service rather than being the solution to all social and academic issues?

It seem here in the last two weeks of August that September has come early. We look ahead to the coming year, my meeting the the challenges of children no matter their abilities, interests, or cultures. We move ahead with cautious optimism that our children will be given the services they need, the attention they want, and the learning experiences they deserve.

BOSTnet will be moving ahead with the Autumn Training Series Roundtable Workshop. The first one will be held at the Boston Library September 4th 10 Am - 12 Noon. (Check out bostnet.org for complete information) and will address key elements of the OST environment and will meet the needs of diverse students that coms throught he doors of every program.