When you find something that works, you stick with it. That’s exactly what we’re doing with the out-of-school time (OST) partners we work with at Metro United Way! In 2014, through our partnership with BLOCS (Building Louisville’s Out-of-School Time Coordinated System), we introduced 38 local program sites to a process called the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI). National research told us that adopting this method would improve the quality of youth programs. Still, we wondered: will it work here, too?

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As Metro United Way's Vice President of Human Resources, my goal has always been to create a working environment for our staff that is the best in our community - one that fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration and engagement. Our employees are committed, skilled and compassionate. They often go well above and beyond their job responsibilities to make sure we’re doing all we can in the fight for education, financial stability and health for every person in our seven-county region.

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"I love my job. And I'm really, really good at it. And I'm going to save your son."
-Dr. Zain Khalpey

In a recent ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, heart surgeon Dr. Zain Khalpey recalled sharing those very words with a mother whose son, Craig, a young, seemingly healthy hockey player from Arizona, suffered a cardiac arrest before a match and collapsed on the ice. Craig's heart had stopped for 83 minutes and, by most accounts, he wasn't expected to survive. However, thanks to Dr. Khalpey's remarkable talent and extraordinary passion for his job, he did. Dr. Khalpey saved Craig's life.

Dr. Khalpey's mindset is a powerful one and exactly the kind of attitude all educators need to have every day we go to work. As an educator who has served the students of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) for more than two decades, I know the challenges that so many of them often face. That's why, as we begin a new school year and welcome our students back to class next week, we'll seize every opportunity in JCPS to have moments like Dr. Khalpey had - important chances to say, "I love my job. And I'm really, really good at it. And I'm going to save a child's life."

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According to the Campaign for Grade Level Reading (CGLR), a national group advocating that all children read at grade level by the third grade, summer learning loss is one of several critical areas affecting a child's ability to succeed in school. Other areas include school readiness and chronic absenteeism. CGLR research shows that summer learning loss is particularly stifling for children in poverty. In fact, children in poverty can lose up to two months of reading growth during the summer months if they are not exposed to literacy or other enriching activities.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Louisville's youngest learners enrolled in Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) preschool programs. End of year assessments indicate that our students are well on their way to being prepared for kindergarten. However, once the "summer slide" takes effect the gains tend to dissipate once they start kindergarten and are administered the state mandated Brigance assessment...

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Having worked in the nonprofit sector for 41 years I was ready to retire in 2010. When I first entertained the idea about two years prior, I wasn't sure how I would react, who I would connect with, and what I would do post career. Would I consult, travel or just hang around? A friend of mine who had gone through the same process a few years earlier suggested that I take six months off after formally retiring and do no volunteering or make other commitments. Just enjoy the freedom, the serenity, the sleep, and chance to play golf whenever I felt like it. This was the best advice I received!

Retirement is an adjustment; after all, I had been working my entire adult life or in my case even before, having paid my way through school working in the steel mills in Ohio...

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