2025 Year In Review
Dear Friends, Partners, and Supporters,
As I reflect on my first year as Executive Director of the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association, I'm filled with deep gratitude, pride, and renewed purpose. The 2025 summerLEAP season was more than a program, it was a promise in action: that every child in our community, no matter their background, deserves access to joyful, high-quality early learning experiences.
In my first year at the helm, we faced both opportunities and real challenges in funding shifts, operational complexities, and the growing academic and emotional needs of young children. And yet, what I witnessed in classrooms across our city was nothing short of inspiring: teachers nurturing curiosity, families engaging with trust and pride, and children growing in confidence, many taking their first swim lesson, writing their first full sentence, or learning to navigate social spaces with empathy and excitement.
Under the summerLEAP model, we served over 260 early learners through six weeks of full-day programming focused on literacy, numeracy, science, and social-emotional learning, anchored by strong community partnerships. We deepened our focus on whole-child development, introducing enriched supports including swimming lessons, robust science kits, and expanded family engagement initiatives. Most importantly, we centered equity at every turn. Whether through home visits from our Family Support Specialists, or adapting our programming based on caregiver feedback, we worked to ensure that our families were not only served, but heard and valued.
This work is personal to me. I'm a product of this region, raised by mentors, teachers, and family members who believed in the power of early intervention, community investment, and transformational leadership. To now be in a position to guide and grow a model that delivers those same tools to the next generation is humbling.
Looking ahead, our vision remains ambitious. We are laying the groundwork to expand summerLEAP into a year-round "LEAP 365" model, ensuring every child has access to life-saving swim instruction, academic programming, and solidify sustainable funding partnerships that honor the depth and reach of this work.
To our board, partners, educators, families, and funders, I thank you. You've welcomed my leadership with trust, held high expectations, and fueled the mission with generosity. The foundation we've built together in my first year sets the stage for a powerful future.
With gratitude and determination.
Tariq J. Smith
Executive Director
Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association