Kids On The Move - Technology and Growth

Organization Information:

Organization Name:
Kids On The Move
City & State:
Orem, 
Utah
Organization Website:
http://www.kidsonthemove.org/
Organization's Mission Statement

The mission of Kids On The Move is to support the development of young children and families in our community.

Submission Information

Impact Essay

Kids On The Move (KOTM) is a non-profit organization based in Orem, Utah that provides support and services to children and families in Utah County. KOTM serves families with children from birth to age three, including families of children with special needs and low-income families. Despite small and humble beginnings, KOTM has grown to provide services for over 1,400 families annually. Due to this growth they needed an IT solution to accommodate collaboration and remote access networking while providing a stable, secure network server. TechSoup and Microsoft have provided that solution.

Kids On The Move - Background

In 1984, two mothers of children with Down syndrome envisioned a non-profit organization that would provide high quality support to families of children with special needs. These mothers, Karen Hahne and Brenda Winegar, and other families, experienced a lack of support in the community for their children. For example, after Karen adopted her son, Reed, a professional in the community told her: "Love him, but don't expect much." Believing that we should expect a lot from all children, Karen and Brenda started Up With Downs Early Preschool, a volunteer, parent-run education program for young children with Down syndrome.Up With Downs Early Preschool was later expanded to include children with other types of disabilities and was renamed Kids On The Move.

In 1986 Kids On The Move was awarded an Early Intervention grant from the State of Utah. The grant provided comprehensive services in Utah County to families of children with a wide variety of disabilities and developmental delays.

In 1998, KOTM expanded again to provide Early Head Start services, which made it possible to serve low-income families with children birth to age three, and also pregnant women. Over the years, KOTM has grown to meet the needs that have come with increased population growth and expanding awareness of the need for early education and intervention services.

Microsoft has been instrumental in the recent growth in the services provided by KOTM. Its contributions have stabilized the system, increased efficiency, and provided additional growth. This assistance has moved KOTM closer to the goal of supporting the development of young children and families in our entire community.

Stabilized the System

In 2002 KOTM hired an outside consultant to revise their computer network. Previously, KOTM had patronized a competitor’s product and services. However, the server was prone to crashes, and did not include a backup system. They also had an external entity host their email, which added costs. The consultant recommended upgrading to the Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) with Microsoft Exchange. Not only did this enable internal hosting of email, but it alleviated the problems of crashing and lack of backup of the previous system. This has saved KOTM hundreds of thousands of dollars in time, salary, and product.

Increased Efficiency

The switch to SBS was a godsend. Not only was KOTM able to manage their own network/system, but the resulting efficiency was enormous. With the competitor’s product, it would have required four full-time staff members to manage the system; with SBS it was cut to two (one full-time, one consultant). This made their work more efficient and saved KOTM thousands of dollars in time and salary - money that can now be spent on providing services to additional families. Other efficiencies have stemmed from the use of popular software made by Microsoft. As mentioned, Microsoft Exchange with Outlook has allowed employees to collaborate by sharing calendars - saving time and effort spent arranging appointments and meetings. The intranet has been crucial in keeping all employees up to date on announcements, programs, and trainings. Not only does this streamline their efforts, but it also lends a sense of unity in the cause of KOTM. Other programs such as Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Publisher, and PowerPoint) are used daily to accomplish tasks in an effective, efficient manner.

Provided Additional Growth

At the heart of Kids On The Move is the desire to help children and families. With the stability and efficiency provided by using Microsoft products, Kids On The Move has been able to expand those services to more families. Recently KOTM opened a satellite office in a local school district to better serve families in that area. While satellite offices tend to suffer from isolation, our Microsoft Small Business Server and future Essential Business Server (EBS) upgrade will allow employees to use terminal services, increasing efficiency and providing better services to families. Therapists will now be able to run all applications from wherever they are without worrying about local server usage or getting kicked off. Another service KOTM is able to provide, through the use of technology, is an agreement with the local city library. KOTM houses the library’s collection of books and other resources related to child development, parenting, and disabilities. This arrangement brings all available information under one roof and gives parents a chance to connect with others in their situation. It also expands the influence KOTM has on families in the community. This would not be possible without the technology to connect with and merge two existing databases.

 

The effects of switching to Microsoft SBS could not have been more astonishing. The time and money saved has resulted in better services to children and families. This year alone Kids On The Move is expected to save over $50,000 by upgrading to the Microsoft EBS. This figure does not include the added time cost of additional employees, scheduling, and overall efficiency costs. The time and money saved has endowed KOTM with the resources to expand services and help children and families in the community.

Submission Category
Stable and Secure Technology
Project Image
KidsOnTheMove_logo.jpg