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Laura Grattan is Managing Director at Crosspoint Capital Partners. Prior to joining Crosspoint in 2021, she was a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners for more than 13 years, focusing on Technology and HCIT investing. Laura started her career as an investment professional in the Private Equity Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Laura has held an array of directorships including with inVentiv Health, Inc., Alfresco Software, Inc., Juvare, iHeartMedia, Inc. and a board observer at Univision Communications, Inc. In addition to serving on the BellXcel Board of Directors, she is also on the board of Boston Scores, a local soccer-based education nonprofit. She holds an A.B., summa cum laude, in Economics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

[caption id="attachment_646" align="alignleft" width="231"] Lauren Sanchez Gilbert[/caption] President Biden’s FY22 budget request proposes strong and necessary investments in youth development. Summer and afterschool providers nationwide would have the critical opportunity to provide the level of programming required to address the losses our youth have experienced over the past year. BellXcel’s decades of experience in evidence-based, high quality youth programming propels me to spotlight the urgency of whole-child investments in communities across the country.  Our youth need high-quality summer and afterschool experiences to thrive academically and emotionally and to grow beyond the school day. Investing in programming based in evidence and adaptable to meet the unique needs of each community is critical. A one-size fits most approach will only further exacerbate and expose the inherent inequity so prevalent in our education system. True possibility of economic mobility begins early in life when all children have access to a strong pipeline of high-quality activities throughout their youth. Our evidence proves that providing local educators and youth leaders with the tools, resources, professional learning, and support they need to build impactful learning experiences leads to real improved outcomes. We have witnessed first-hand, many times over, that the greatest impact can be made by serving each child, through the adults that they know, with strategies that work.  These are remarkable times to be a leader in youth development and education and I thank President Biden for this historic proposal.  Highlights of some of President Biden’s FY22 budget request include: $20B for new Title 1 Equity Grants to support unserved communities $1.3B for 21st Century Community Learning Centers to boost out of school time programming, including teacher professional development $443M for Full-Service Community Schools for comprehensive services to youth and their families, from afterschool to health/nutrition services $1B for new School-Based Health Professionals to double the number of counselors, nurses and mental health professionals in schools $16B for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to support special education and related services Pre-K through 12   Our BellXcel team is committed to partnering with youth organizations and schools to maximize the quality of their programming for youth, educators, and families in communities nationwide. President Biden’s historic budget proposal gives us all a momentous leg up to ensure all children can excel!    Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer BellXcel

Welcome to the all-in-one bundle that brings the classroom experience into the home. Created in partnership with Scholastic Education, a global leader in literacy solutions, BellXcel Remote provides all of the tools and resources to design, organize, implement, and assess a remote classroom environment with a strong social emotional learning approach.

  Amidst the most challenging summer of 2020, a light shone bright at the Southeast Ventura County YMCA. Julie Birkett, Site Director for the Y’s Find My Genius program, deftly led one of the few in-person summer programs anywhere in Southern California and has been named BellXcel’s 2020 Educator of the Year. As a leading national nonprofit in youth development, BellXcel recognizes outstanding educators dedicated to scholar success. [caption id="attachment_1360" align="alignleft" width="225"] Julie Birkett, BellXcel Educator of the Year 2020[/caption] The award recognizes an educator who best exemplifies BellXcel’s core values of excellence, learning, respect, courage and collaboration. Julie was chosen out of more than 1,000 educators nationwide and her program served 140 rising 1st through 5th grade scholars. Julie has been involved with the summer program at the Southeast Ventura County YMCA since the program launched in summer 2018, the same year she was honored as the Teacher of the Year for the Greater Conejo Valley. Fueled by her passion to make a difference in the lives of her scholars, Julie served as an academic teacher in 2018 and 2019 before stepping into a leadership capacity as Site Director amidst the tumultuous atmosphere of summer 2020. Leaning into her dedication and experience, Julie steadfastly managed family and staff safety concerns and constantly-changing county health department protocols while ensuring a high-quality learning experience for scholars. She never lost sight of the high standards that the Y set for their Find My Genius program and the results speak for themselves. Scholars gained more than 3 months in ELA and Math skills and reported an average daily attendance of 88%. A Zooming Surprise Julie was informed of the honor during a board meeting for the Y. BellXcel CEO Lauren Sanchez Gilbert joined the Zoom call as a special guest and shared the news with the group and our very surprised and extraordinarily worthy recipient. Moments later Julie's doorbell rang and she was presented with the award and a bouquet of flowers. Lauren remarked, “It is my honor and privilege to recognize Julie as the BellXcel 2020 Educator of the Year. Set against the backdrop of a global pandemic and the unprecedented challenges educators have faced, it is especially inspiring to witness Julie’s embodiment of everything that this award represents.” As summer 2021 draws closer and COVID-19 restrictions ease, a celebration in Julie's honor is planned for this summer to be shared with her colleagues and the scholars she cherishes. We look forward to sharing more of the celebration and fun!   About Find My Genius, Southeast Ventura County YMCA Find My Genius is a special, no-cost summer learning program launched by the Southeast Ventura County YMCA to help children catch up, stay on track or get ahead on their reading and math skills while providing summer camp fun! To qualify, children must be on free or reduced-priced lunch program and score below grade level at their school. For more information, visit www.sevymca.org.

Your mission is to serve the next generation of leaders in your community. Let BellXcel's all-in-one solution be the backbone of your programming. KNOW that the work you're doing each day is rooted in quality, driven by data, and making a difference.

Make your summer program shine. Launching a summer program is like launching the school year – with much less time for planning and execution. That’s why BellXcel integrates all the elements you need in one place with guidance every step of the way – giving you the freedom to focus on making your program shine this summer.

KNOW that the work you're doing each day is rooted in quality, driven by data, and making a difference. Program planning is all-consuming - that's why we built our solution with everything you need, all-in-one place. So you can focus on ensuring your summer and afterschool programs are evidence-based, support the school day, and FUN!

Leave your troubles and pack your excitement with BellXcel! We integrate all the elements you need to run your program in one place, with guidance every step of the way – giving you the freedom to focus on creating s'more memory-making fun with your campers this summer!

Your afterschool programs are incredible opportunities to connect scholars to the joy of learning beyond the school day. Family engagement, program planning, social and emotional learning and so much more is built into our all-in-one solution. So you can focus on what matters - helping scholars thrive beyond the bell!

Ballmer Group's $30 million 10-year grant was catalytic in helping to enhance and scale BellXcel's evidence-based programming. --- Record 10-year $30 million grant from Ballmer Group to expand educational access to reduce summer slide July 20 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOSTON - BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), the largest evidence-based summer learning provider in the U.S. and a national leader in PK-8 out-of-school time (OST) education, received a 10-year $30 million grant from Ballmer Group. It is the largest grant in BELL's 25-year history. Founded by former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, Ballmer Group supports organizations and initiatives aimed at improving economic mobility for children and families in the U.S. BELL estimates that 7.5 million K-8 students from underserved communities are performing significantly below grade level. Up to two-thirds of the nation's academic achievement gap is due to lack of access to quality summer learning programs. Students who are not proficient readers by third grade are four times as likely to drop out of high school and face lower lifelong earnings. Ballmer Group's grant will support BELL's mission to eliminate summer slide by strengthening the capacity of school districts and youth-serving nonprofits to deliver BELL's high-quality, measurable and sustainable summer learning programs on a larger scale. Ballmer Group's support will allow BELL to increase programmatic efficiencies to better meet the needs of scholars, parents and teachers, while developing technology solutions to enable greater scale of the BELL model. "Education inequity is a national crisis that has long-term repercussions for our economy. It leaves underserved students at risk of being caught in a downward spiral of lower graduation rates, decreased lifelong earnings and generational poverty," says BELL CEO Lauren Sanchez Gilbert, Ed.D. "Ballmer Group's contribution allows us to further refine and replicate BELL's holistic, data-driven summer programs to reach exponentially more underserved children living in urban, suburban and rural communities." Ballmer Group chose organizations that support individuals and families at key life stages, use evidence-based practices, track outcomes and utilize data for continuous improvement. "Many of our nation's largest evidence-driven organizations are reaching less than 5 percent of their target population," says Tonya Dressel, Executive Director of Ballmer Group. "In response, we are investing in national organizations like BELL with demonstrated impact that align with our interest in improving economic mobility for children and families." Students spend 80 percent of their time outside of the confines of the school day. Young people whose families cannot afford expensive summer and after school programs are at risk of suffering higher learning loss that is difficult to regain. Studies show that by fifth grade, summer learning loss can leave underserved children two and a half to three years behind their peers. BELL's academic and enrichment programs have been shown to reverse summer slide. Nationwide, more than 14,500 BELL students, known as scholars, experience an average of two month gains in reading and three month gains in math annually. "We are grateful for Ballmer Group's long-term investment in children and families across the nation," said Dr. Gilbert. "They understand the challenges facing nonprofits and the importance of flexible funding to meet the complex needs of underserved communities. Their support will enable us to be more agile and responsive, and it will serve as an anchor to raise additional funds required to expand summer learning across the U.S." BELL transforms the life trajectories of scholars by empowering their circles of support, including parents and teachers. According to a 2016 survey, 92 percent of participating teachers say BELL helped them develop their professional skills, and the majority reported using BELL strategies in the classroom. Parents become more engaged as well, with 89 percent of those surveyed saying BELL programs made them more involved in their child's education. BELL supports program partners through all stages of their summer or after-school programs, including program design, curriculum development, professional development, measurement and technical assistance. BELL continuously applies and shares best practices and innovations as they are tested and refined in classrooms and other learning environments across the country. About Ballmer Group: Ballmer Group strengthens organizations and initiatives that increase economic mobility for children and families in the United States. Founders Steve and Connie Ballmer envision a country where the promise of the American Dream -that every child has an equal opportunity to build a better life -is within reach. -- The above press release was originally published in 2017 and BellXcel remains grateful for Ballmer Group's transformational investment.