As we read the headlines and hear the news, it seems no one can agree on an accurate prediction as to when this seemingly bipolar economy will begin to stabilize and return to a more sane level. It would be foolish to not acknowledge that this has in some way or another affected all of us, irregardless of our field or profession. Therefore, it behooves us to respond to questions and concerns that have been expressed or are, at the least, in the minds of many current and potential Valley View families.

It has been poignant to see a significant number of well run facilities working with the emotional growth and well-being of youngsters be forced out of business this past year. Additionally, it is distressing to hear about other places that are experiencing serious financial difficulty, yet attempting to discover ways to remain active.

While these certainly are difficult times for everyone, there is a definite pattern of correction. Of even more significance is that we believe that our resilience to greater trauma lies in the fact that we are a “stand alone”, not-for-profit organization with no significant outstanding debt. In simpler terms, it means we have no investors to whom we are obligated to demonstrate a profit, nor is there additional pressure to respond to various lending institutions. Of even greater significance, we continue to be blessed with highly committed, long term staff that remain highly focused on their work and on our mission, despite the reality that we must pull together, even with some personal sacrifice, as these difficult times will not last forever.

We have attempted to remain extremely prudent and conservative in our financial plan without in any way diminishing the quality of our services. Indeed, many of our referral resources, such as the Educational Consultants, have told us that our fees are “cheap” when compared to similar facilities. We prefer to think of ourselves as perhaps more discreetly managed. Nevertheless, at this time we are experiencing a growing number of families who, because of the spiraling economy, are struggling to meet our fees. We intend to respond to these situations as realistically as possible through referrals to lending resources or other creative means without jeopardizing our own stability.

The bottom line, and the real purpose of these comments is to reaffirm the reality that we are totally committed to a continuation of our mission to help youngsters to become the best version of themselves, which for us is the real “payoff” in these tough economic times.