Thompson finalized the acquisition of A Child’s Place (ACP) in February 2020 with the goal of honoring the incredible 30+ year legacy of ACP while ensuring its ongoing success, evolution, and sustainability moving forward. ACP has been operating under Thompson’s leadership for one year; below is a summary of the first full year of operation post-merger.
No one could have known how COVID-19 would change everything when Thompson acquired ACP just a month prior to the pandemic. As it turned out, the timing of the acquisition couldn’t have been more prescient to furthering the mission of ACP in the year of COVID-19. Thompson was able to pivot the model from a traditionally school-based program to a community-based intervention – so when the schools closed, the new ACP didn’t stop serving families. As more families were displaced, Thompson was able to provide direct housing to families on our Matthews campus. And lastly, despite the cancellation of all large Spring fundraisers (which generated a large percentage of ACP’s
revenue each year), Thompson was able to sustain the program financially throughout 2020 and begin growing it in FY20/21. Merging during the year of a pandemic turned out to be the best possible thing that an organization of ACP’s size could have done.
Post-Merger Program Adjustments
Based on feedback from stakeholders including CMS leadership, Thompson made the following adjustments to the ACP service model to maximize its positive impact to the community:
Family focused, child centered, two-generational approach,
Pivoted to a year-round program (homelessness doesn’t stop when
school ends),
Focused Intensive Social Work Model on family self-sufficiency within
90-120 days,
Agreed to accept direct referrals from non-CMS entities such as child
welfare, hospitals, early childhood centers, and other community
stakeholders,
Embedded a mental health therapist within the structure of the ACP team,
Focused on all social determinants of health (SDOH) in our families.
