Achievekids Appoints Next Step to Refine Growth Strategy
Achievekids, a non-profit agency providing integrated health and education services to children with complex emotional and developmental disabilities such as Autism, has selected Next Step to refine their strategic plan to drive the agency's growth in the increasingly competitive market of special needs education.
Redwood City, CA (PRWEB) May 7, 2007
Achievekids, a non-profit agency providing integrated health and education services to children with complex emotional and developmental disabilities such as Autism, has selected Next Step to refine their strategic plan to drive the agency's growth in the increasingly competitive market of special needs education.
Due to an increase in Autism and related disabilities and a heightened awareness of special needs education, Achievekids sought a clearer direction and planning process for expanding its services and receiving greater recognition of its programs. In addition to these objectives, Achievekids also aspired to attract and engage more credential professionals in critical positions. Understanding the depth and complexity of these goals, Achievekids evaluated and ultimately awarded Next Step the project to resolve these challenges through a new planning process and strategic plan.
An integral part of Next Steps' proposed planning process was the engagement of Achievekids' management and board members in the process of defining the organizations' objectives. This ensured each member fully acknowledged, accepted and was readied to realize them. Through employee surveys as well as management and board retreats Next Step's team gathered critical input into the planning process. This information was utilized to gain consensus on the agency's key objectives for the next three years. To ensure accountability and results, Next Step then facilitated staff members' development of specific measurable goals and milestones for each objective as part of the planning process. These will be reviewed and ratified by the board at the upcoming Board Meeting.
"While we have always had a strategic plan, not every staff and board member had been involved enough in the process to have a clear understanding of the goals within it," according to Achievekids Board Chairman Doug Barton. "As a result, development of annual budgets and agency-wide goals were not directly related to the strategic plan and there was limited tracking of the agency's achievement of the previous goals."
Through its collaborative strategic planning process which involved key staff members, Next Step provided the basis for acceptance, ownership and accountability to achieve the organization's goals and objectives. Achievekids acknowledged the significant impact made by Next Step's consultants.
"It has been rewarding for us to have provided Achievekids with a strategic plan for growth that was so successfully realized," said Jennifer Vessels, CEO of Next Step. "We're pleased to have supported the efforts of Achievekids, an agency noted for providing an extremely valuable service to the community by offering children with special needs a choice for their education".
About Achievekids
Achievekids teaches youth with complex emotional and developmental disabilities the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve greater independence. Expert staff, supported by the community, provides programs for our students and families that are positive, individualized, and multi-disciplinary. We have 45 years of experience serving students, ages 5 to 22; with severe emotional and developmental disorders that cannot be properly addressed in a traditional academic setting. Our intensive, individualized special education program, which includes mental health and behavioral counseling, speech therapy, and vocational education, has been developed specifically to address the issues that our students face. We have the ability, unlike public schools, to work with these young people on focused, one-to-one level with trained staff and specially designed facilities. Our goal is to help them become more self-reliant with their families, schools and communities.
About Next Step
Next Step, LLC is the go-to consulting partner to take companies to their next step of growth. Next Step has an established track record of maximizing results for companies that are launching-to-market, diversifying or globalizing their business and sustaining long-term profitability. Its broad team of specialized professionals delivers integrated consulting and training services and takes full accountability for its client's results. Since founding in 1998 Next Step has helped improve the performance of Fortune 100 companies in technology and life sciences as well as small to medium size businesses and non-profit organizations. For a complete list of clients and industry expertise visit http://www. nextstepgrowth. com.
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