September 8, 2026
The end of summer is always a time of transition. The weather starts to shift, routines change, and another year of school is about to begin. At St.Amant, it’s also a time when we say farewell to old friends and make new ones in many programs. Those hellos and goodbyes remind us that every service we provide depends on the strength of relationships – trust, goodwill, and understanding.
The Autism Programs held graduation ceremonies a couple of weeks ago for the 80 children who completed the Early Learning Program. Staff celebrated each child’s accomplishments, strengths and gifts, and wished them success as they move on to kindergarten. The joy that staff took in every child, the trust and comfort between families and staff, was unmistakable. And, as soon as the ceremonies and celebrations ended, the team immediately got to work preparing to say hello to the next group of children.
Supporting people to meet their goals and to live a good life is a duty and a privilege. Wait times and long waitlists are a real challenge across many of our services. Even if we haven’t met them yet, the people who waiting for services, and their families, are more than names on a list. They are real people, with real gifts and real unmet needs.
That’s why we have a duty to always think about how we do our work and how to make the biggest impact we can with the resources we have. That’s a big focus for our strategic projects this year. One project team is developing strategies to meet the huge need for case management while still maintaining the quality families deserve. Another team is looking at how to better integrate our various stabilization services so that people can get the right supports in the least restrictive environment. Those are just two examples. I look forward to sharing more details about each of our strategic projects – what they are and why they matter- on our social media channels soon.
I hope to see you all at the Free the Spirit Festival on September 19th!
