Astor Services For Children & Families:
Strategic Plan 2009-2012

A visionary organization doesn't seek balance between short-term and long-term. It seeks to do well in the short-term and in the long-term.

Jim Collins – Good to Great

Since it's founding in 1953, Astor has grown from a small facility in one location serving a handful of emotionally-disturbed children to a multi-faceted organization providing care, treatment and education to children of all ages. It has also become a valued training resource for professionals in the field. Astor now provides services in over thirty sites, has over 700 employees and serves several thousand children and their families annually in Dutchess County, other parts of the Hudson Valley, as well as the Bronx, New York.

Seeking A Balance

As an organization striving to achieve excellence in all we do, Astor has a great need for a strategic plan which is both far-reaching and pragmatic; one that balances our desire to be on the cutting edge of service provision, with our goal of delivering the best possible care, treatment and education to our clients on a daily basis.

A Living Document To Guide Our Activities

The Strategic Plan for 2009 – 2011 recognizes these realities. It builds on the successful processes of the prior plan by becoming more inclusive in both information-gathering and in identifying key issues. The plan is designed to be a living and working document, one that guides our activities over the next three years. To that end, it is essential that a diligent and disciplined approach be taken to managing and monitoring our adherence to the plan’s directions through Astor's Planning and Program Development and Performance and Monitoring Committees.

Developing A Plan

The 2009-2011 Plan was developed through a comprehensive year-long process in 2008. Our Quality Improvement Teams convened as well as focus groups of key staff members from each program area (Early Childhood, Residential, Dutchess Community Based Programs, Bronx Programs) for the purpose of identifying Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats relating to Astor. Discussion of the general environment for next three years and challenges for Astor related to these factors were identified and discussed. Development of the plan continued with a gathering of staff on Leadership Day, an Executive Team Retreat and a Strategic Work Session attended by Astor's Board of Directors and the Executive Team.

Parents' Voices

Perhaps the most important part of our process this year was gathering valuable input through focus groups conducted with parents of youth and children in our care. The voices of these parents resonate throughout the plan. Our commitment to improving services and access to these families drives the 2009-2011 Strategic Plan that follows and reflects our passion to providing the highest quality of care and healing for these families.

Read / print / download Astor's complete Strategic Plan 2009-2012