An Important Message from our CEO

Building connections with, and among, community has always been central to Ardoch’s mission and as you are a key member of the Ardoch community I wanted to provide you with an update on the implications of COVID-19 for Ardoch’s work.

As one of our valued supporters, in this current time of uncertainty, we want to emphasise to you how critical your support is to Ardoch’s goal to improve educational outcomes for children and young people in disadvantaged communities, and to thank you for your continued support.

As we are all aware, the COVID-19 virus has become a global pandemic. Circumstances are constantly evolving, however, we know from the impact on other countries, that Australia has a small window to plan ahead to attempt to minimise the impact and ‘flatten the curve’ of infections by acting to limit physical interaction among our population.

Along with other businesses, government, and community organisations, we are monitoring official advice closely and Ardoch is adapting to an evolving situation. The safety and well-being of our staff, volunteers, the children we support, other stakeholders and the wider community is paramount, and where possible, we are acting to put plans in place to protect them. For the next few weeks most of our staff will be working from home, and in the short-term we will be postponing some programs and offering virtual alternatives to others, and taking some time to consult with our school partners about how we can best support them in difficult circumstances.

At all times, we will still be available through the usual channels and in contact with our partners and stakeholders, we will just be doing things a little differently. We will be working our school and early years education partners to better understand how we might be able to adapt some of our programs so that we can continue to support them. Together with your continued support during this unprecedented time, we will continue to explore the impact of this situation on our education programs and look for alternative ways to meet the needs of children in disadvantaged communities.

Drawing on our collective values and capabilities, the team at Ardoch is confident that we can navigate these uncertainties positively and successfully, so that we can continue to fulfill our mission of increasing engagement, building aspiration and enhancing learning outcomes of children in disadvantaged communities.

We also acknowledge that you will not be unaffected and dealing with your own personal challenges, so please do let us know if there is anything that we can do to support you. As our organisational value of ‘collaboration’ reminds us, ‘we cannot do this alone’. Thank you for being part of the Ardoch community and may we all emerge from this public health emergency and disruptive period stronger than ever.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

Kind Regards,

Kylee Bates
Chief Executive Officer