Aspire’s New Strategic Roadmap
A Glance Back…
In 2021, Aspire engaged students, families, AmeriCorps members, staff, board members, and partners to shape our ambitious three-year strategic plan. Guided by our values, we centered the voices of students and families, who told us to:
- Continue doing what you’re doing (delivering high quality programming), but do it for more students.
- Keep programs at no cost so every child can dream big.
- Invest in staff who reflect our students’ communities and can build long-term, supportive relationships with them year after year.
- Expand programming to include exposure to STEM learning that can build a future career pipeline for children.
- And from our students, serve more chicken nuggets.
Despite a rapidly changing environment, Aspire fulfilled these commitments, minus the chicken nuggets.
Over the last three years, Aspire has:
- More than doubled the number of students we serve, including opening new classrooms at Drew and Randolph Elementary Schools that eliminate transportation barriers many families face and deepen collaboration with school partners.
- Maintained all programming at no cost, ensuring equitable access to high-quality, evidence-based learning support because we believe the ability to afford quality out-of-school time academic support should not interfere with a students’ ability to thrive and dream big.
- Invested in staff recruitment, retention, and pay equity to build a team that reflects and understands our students and their families.
- Strengthened academic programming, including expanding STEM opportunities, enhancing math instruction, and developing a structured literacy curriculum to address post-pandemic learning needs. While many Aspire students enter two or more grade levels behind, the majority make meaningful gains in both reading and math, especially those who return year after year.
These accomplishments are a testament of the strength of the Aspire community, including our curious and ambitious students, our hard-working parents and families, our dedicated partners, our committed, creative, and passionate staff and board, and our generous donors and funders who continue to believe and invest in the power of afterschool programming and the South Arlington community.
Looking Forward…
In 2025, Aspire once again convened students, families, staff, and partners to design a five-year strategic roadmap rooted in our values and responsive to today’s challenges. Building on our momentum, here’s what you can expect from Aspire in the years ahead:
- Pillar I: Increase Student Achievement: Students continue to enter Aspire further behind academically than pre-pandemic cohorts. Aspire remains committed to high expectations and individualized learning. We will:
- Continue strengthening our structured literacy and math curricula.
- Have 90% of students improve in reading and math annually.
- Pillar II: Expand Holistic Programming (SEL, STEM, and Family Support): Aspire students and families are experiencing greater uncertainty, mental health, and economic needs. While keeping our programming at no-cost to Aspire families, Aspire will:
- Expand our social-emotional learning curriculum through our partnership with Teach Peace of Mind to support our students in growing their self-confidence, resiliency, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
- Grow STEM programming and harness our Makerspace to open doors to emerging fields and expose our students to new experiences and career tracks.
- Develop a logic curriculum to help students develop critical thinking, deepen their curiosity, and navigate misinformation.
- Increase family programming, such as computer classes, a food pantry, and 1:1 support for students’ parents and caregivers.
- Pillar III: Strengthen Strategic Partnerships: Aspire’s long-history of working in partnership with our community is foundational to student success. We know we all do better when we all do better. To meet rising needs, Aspire will:
- Expand intentional partnerships that create a continuity of care and support for our students as they transition into middle school, high school, and beyond.
- Build partnerships to identify students for our program, fill gaps in community services, and help families access support for food, housing, health and other safety-net supports.
- Develop and deepen strategic partnerships to support students and families on our waitlist.
- Pillar IV: Build a Sustainable Staffing Model: With a rapidly shifting federal funding environment and cuts to the AmeriCorps programming that provided classroom support and instruction, Aspire is designing new staffing models that:
- Maintain our enrollment numbers while continuing to offer highly individualized support
- Create employment pathways for young people in our community, including former Aspire students.
- Ensure long-term stability across all program sites in the years ahead.
Community Voices
Our community has told us how excited they are to see Aspire continue responding to needs and planning for the future.
- Speaking to Aspire’s work to create pathways for young people to continue staying involved with Aspire, one of our current students said, “I’m excited that my cousin might volunteer this summer!“
- Another student wrote out a card for his instructors that said, “Aspire is good for kids. Aspire is fun. I love Aspire!“
- One of our parents shared their gratitude at knowing that Aspire would continue to be a resource for years in the future, saying, “I’m happy that Aspire will continue with Summer Camp and next school year. I don’t have family here, and this program is my support. Thank you for keeping my two kids here safe.”
Our team has also shared how impactful this new roadmap will be.
- “Since starting at Aspire two years ago, I’ve seen how Aspire adapts and evolves to meet the community’s needs when challenges arise. This roadmap will guide Aspires response for the next five years to current needs, while allowing flexibility for the future. It’s exciting to be part of shaping this critical work for Arlington students as we grow to match their needs.” – Tsion Mamo, Data and Program Coordinator
- “Our new five-year strategic plan is ambitious and honest about the challenges ahead. We’ve met big goals before, and the impact Aspire has already had with the students, families, and communities that we serve reminds me that we can build on that momentum, and that we are ready to rise to the occasion again!” – Gaby Moore, Program Manager
- “My first year on the Board coincided with the launch of Aspire’s previous three-year strategic plan, giving me a front-row seat to an extraordinary period of growth and impact. It’s been incredibly rewarding to reflect on how much we’ve accomplished together. Bringing this new strategic roadmap to life, especially during such challenging times, has been truly inspiring and a powerful example of what’s possible when staff, Board, and the whole Aspire community come together around a shared vision with commitment, resilience, and collaboration. I’m honored and proud to be part of such a wonderful organization doing such meaningful work.” – Patrick King, Board of Directors Chair
We know that education is relational and holistic. Our strategic roadmap reflects this and provides a path forward that is innovative, student-centered, and rooted in equity, joy, connection, and excellence, ensuring every student has the opportunity to not just catch up, but fall in love with learning and dream big.