To our St. David’s Center community – This year we are celebrating 60 years of walking alongside families. Since our inception in 1961, St. David’s Center has served as a space for nurturing relationships, expertise in child development, innovation in early intervention services, and most importantly, a community for those who need it. Over the years we have grown to accommodate the critical need across the greater Twin Cities. What began as one of the first inclusive preschools in the lower level of a church now spans two physical locations in addition to an extensive community-based network of direct service professionals. In 2020 we were able to serve more than 4,000 families around Minnesota. As our reach has continued to grow, we have stayed true to our mission and values, believing that each child deserves the opportunity to thrive and make a contribution to society. That unwavering belief, brought to life by a team of nearly 500 clinicians, therapists, teachers, and support staff make us uniquely positioned to meet this moment of need facing Minnesotans in 2021. Together we have faced a global pandemic. While the past year has put a spotlight on the already significant disparities across our communities, we know the impact this has had on our youngest is unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetime. From economic uncertainty to remote learning, social distancing that prohibits many from seeking critical services to a lack of access to childcare, adults and children alike have been asked to pivot again and again. We see you, and we have been hard at work to meet that need. One example is our expanded offering of telehealth services, which has allowed clinicians and staff to stay connected to families through this pandemic. We have also implemented an extensive preparedness plan to ensure a safe environment for children and our staff. But we’re not done. The work is not finished. While we will mark this milestone year as a testament to the work that has been accomplished over the past six decades, we must also look to the future. A Look at the Year Ahead: We will host our 32nd Annual Make Them Shine Gala on May 15, 2021 in a virtual setting. We hope you’ll join us. As always, we will continue to advocate for access to critical services for families, share expertise and resources with our partners and community, and explore new ways to share our capabilities with an even broader audience – working toward our overarching goal of ensuring that any child who needs support through developmentally-attuned childcare or early intervention services gains access. To those of you who have supported St. David’s Center over the years, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. To those of you who are new to our community, welcome. Here’s to the next sixty! Julie Sjordal Chief Executive Officer, St. David’s Center for Child and Family Development Celebrate St. David’s Center’s 6o Years of Service: Dance along to our virtual birthday bash Save the date for our Annual Make Them Shine Gala Support St. David’s Center by making a donation
