A letter from Vinnie Strully, Jr. – Founder, President and CEO
You, our donors, gave in record numbers in fiscal year 2018 (FY18). Thanks to your support, we exceeded our goals and many positive outcomes were achieved. We served more than 500 children in day and residential programs on our campuses in Southborough and Abu Dhabi and through home-based services. We’re helping hundreds more in public school classrooms throughout New England, and thousands more through our ACE® ABA Software System, which we continually improve via our research on how children with autism learn.
In FY18 we renewed our agreement with our Abu Dhabi School, expanded our global consulting services, graduated our 1,420th master’s degree teacher from our on-site graduate programs, and were recognized in national publications for our vocational work. We hosted 64 interns–18 from overseas, initiated the replication of a research study identifying symptoms of autism in babies, and launched an online professional learning platform, ABAplus™.
The number of children and families helped, the professionals trained, and the dollars raised are impressive, but the social impact your dollars have made is truly astounding. The need for qualified educational professionals remains large. We work hard to fulfill that need by continuing our on-site master’s and doctoral programs, at little to no cost to our staff. The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) operates much like a teaching hospital, and when well-educated, experienced, confident teachers leave NECC they provide services in public schools and some have gone on to start effective programs in other parts of the world including Ghana, Brazil, and Iceland, furthering our vision to disseminate our knowledge far and wide.
Our vocational training program continues to excel, too. In the general population, the number of people with autism who are employed remains low. Yet in FY18 we had 148 students of employable age engaged in vocational training or working in the community at more than 20 different job sites.
You may have read The New York Times article about Jeanine, a former NECC student who has been working at Sun Life for more than two decades. Jeanine lives in a group home, enjoys her work, manages her budget, and contributes to society. Her story shows the direct impact vocational training and life skills development can have on a person with autism.
Throughout this annual report you will see quotes from NECC families and benefactors on how they describe NECC in their own words. We’re proud of how others see us, and you should feel proud, too. Your support directly affects the meaningful work we do.
Thank you for being part of the NECC community, and for helping children and families with autism.