Wayside Youth & Family Support Network

Trump’s Changes Lock Some Employers Out of H-1B Visa Program

Wayside Team — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:34:54 +0000

Since imposing a $100,000 fee on new visas in September, the Trump administration has upended the skilled worker program.

The Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has long struggled to recruit local teachers for its private special education school, relying on a skilled visa program to hire workers from countries like Brazil, Mexico and Germany.

Sara McCabe, the president of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit, said the school has five open teaching positions that it would usually try to fill through the H-1B program. But after the Trump administration attached a steep $100,000 fee to new H-1B visas last fall, Ms. McCabe said the nonprofit could no longer afford to use the program. As a result, the school has turned away a dozen students who have tried to enroll because it cannot hire enough special education teachers to offer more classes.

“The $100,000 fee has closed the door for us,” Ms. McCabe said.

Since imposing the fee in September, the Trump administration has upended the H-1B program, a critical pipeline for a broad swath of employers ranging from big tech companies and consulting firms to hospitals and schools. The result has been a fundamental shift in who gets to benefit from the visa program, which was put in place three decades ago.

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Watertown’s Wayside Multi-Service Center Had a Scare with Threatened Cut of Federal Grant

Wayside Team — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 21:31:35 +0000

The Wayside Multi-Service Center momentarily saw one-third of its budget disappear, with the removal of a federal grant. While the grant was restored within days, Sophia Suarez-Friedman, Program Director for Wayside Multi-Service Center, said it was both a stark reminder and a heartening response.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) grant accounts for a large portion of the Wayside’s program in Watertown. It is used to support youth with trauma in Watertown and Waltham, and their families.

“It’s over a third of our staffing and budget at the moment, so it was definitely really scary to have it go away so suddenly,” Suarez-Friedman said.

In mid-January, Wayside and other organizations that receive the federal grant received an email in the middle of the night saying that the SAMHSA grant had been terminated, effective immediately.

“There was no warning more than just understanding the current climate that we’re in,” Suarez-Friedman said. “But no actual warning.”

If the SAMHSA grant had gone away, the staff members working at the Multi-Service Center would likely have been able to move to other work within Wayside (which has nine locations in Eastern Massachusetts and served more than 6,800 people in 200 communities in 2024), Suarez-Friedman said, “but we would have lost them here at the Multi in Watertown.”

The grant funds programs to help youth who have experienced trauma. The Wayside Multi-Service Center supports youth ages 6 to 22 in Watertown and Waltham who have experienced trauma, she said. and provides supportive counseling for the youth and their families. Currently, the Wayside Multi-Service Center serves about 45 clients in this area.

“Trauma can be anywhere from the loss of a loved one, it could be witnessing or experiencing a natural disaster or violence,” Suarez-Friedman said. “But we also see trauma as being the negative response that some people had due to the pandemic, and living with hunger — not knowing when you’re getting food — or having uncertainty around your housing. Or immigrating, whether it’s because you experienced something traumatic in your home country or that maybe the process of immigrating was traumatic.”

Wayside often fills the gaps in coverage or services, Suarez-Friedman said, such as treating someone when there is a long wait list for outpatient therapy, working with families whose insurance does not cover therapy, or helping connect people to other resources such as family housing and food assistance.

For about 24 hours, the funding for this program was gone, Suarez-Friedman said.

“It was actually really heartening for me. It was really impressive how much advocacy there was nationally. Because this was a national cut. It’s a federal grant. So it was really far reaching,” Suarez-Friedman said. “And so there was a ton of advocacy with legislators, and amongst the grantees and Wayside. I felt very supported by our senior leadership, our CEO (Sara McCabe) and our VP of Government Relations (Aaliyah Bannister-Batie). And I reached out to (State Rep.) Steve Owens, who connected us to (U.S. Sen.) Ed Markey’s office very quickly.”

Seeing how fragile federal grants can be was a good reminder for Suarez-Friedman.

“I’m always looking for other grant opportunities for continuing our existing programs should they end, or when they end, because they have end dates, and also for new programming,” she said.

Wayside receives some funding from the City of Watertown, and also has some state contracts as well as private funding, such as from the Watertown Community Foundation. Wayside also seeks new grant opportunities.

“I just put in an application for another large, private funder, and so I’m hopeful for that one, but we won’t learn until June,” Suarez-Friedman said. “So we’re always looking for other opportunities because of how, how immediately funding can be taken away.”

Finding private funds often provides more flexibility, Suarez-Friedman said.

“What I love most about the Wayside Multi is how much we are, grassroots social work, a community organization,” she said. “We’re figuring out what the community needs and just doing it. I really think that. When we get private funding, or more flexible funding like that, we get to do exactly what’s needed, versus what a grant is telling us to do.”

The Wayside Multi-Service Center has not done large-scale community fundraising, Suarez-Friedman said, but the people can donate to the organization.

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Healey-Driscoll Administration Expands Community-Based Behavioral Health Services for Children and Youth

Wayside Team — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:39:50 +0000

Statewide Network of Community Service Agencies Selected to Provide Critical Services for MassHealth Children

For immediate release:

9/03/2025

Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Boston — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that 36 community service agencies have been selected across the state to provide home- and community-based services for children who are MassHealth members – nearly half of all children in Massachusetts – with behavioral, emotional and mental health needs. The new network will be the first expansion of the provider network in over a decade.

The new network will offer more options for families, increase access to high-quality behavioral health services, and ensure geographic coverage across the entire state, including for families seeking specialized cultural and linguistic care.

MassHealth provides health care coverage for nearly half of all Massachusetts children. As part of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative, the selected agencies will provide intensive care coordination, family engagement services, and new intensive team-based treatment services for families of children and youth with particularly complex needs.

Childhood mental health conditions affect many children and families across the country. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five children ages three to seventeen have, at some point, been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition.

“This expansion will strengthen the behavioral health system of support for hundreds of thousands of children and their families here in Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Through this important work, we are making sure that our young people get the care that they need.”

“These agencies will help us provide coordinated, innovative services that are essential to the behavioral and mental health of children here in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We are thrilled to work with our partners to increase access to these services.”

“Meeting the behavioral health needs of our young people and supporting their families is foundational to our commitment to a healthy society and is crucial to our work,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah. “This expanded network offers families of children enrolled in MassHealth the assurance that their child will get the care they need to thrive.”

“MassHealth is dedicated to offering integrated behavioral health services and a comprehensive, community-based system of care for our members,” said Undersecretary for MassHealth Mike Levine. “This expanded network will help us strengthen those efforts to reach more kids who need help.”

Community service agencies were selected through a rigorous review process led by the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP), with review teams comprised of community members and caregivers with relevant lived experience and representatives from state agencies and managed care entities. MBHP will conduct a rigorous readiness process with the selected agencies prior to contracting.

“We are excited to announce the selection of new community service agencies, key partners in providing every child and family with access to coordinated care,” said Sharon Hanson, Vice President of Client Partnerships and CEO, MBHP. “With innovations like Family-based Intensive Treatment, we aim to transform behavioral health services and create lasting positive change in our communities.”

As part of Carelon Behavioral Health, MBHP manages comprehensive, high-quality behavioral health care for over 400,000 MassHealth members statewide, ensuring accessible and culturally sensitive services through strategic collaborations with state agencies, providers, and community stakeholders to promote rehabilitation, recovery, and whole health.

Addgene Supports Wayside Multi with Back-to-School Backpack Donation

Wayside Team — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:21:59 +0000

The following piece was provided by the Wayside Multi Service Center:

As the new school year approaches, preparation can make all the difference — and thanks to Addgene, youth supported by Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center (Wayside Multi) in Watertown will be starting the year well-equipped and ready to succeed.

Addgene, partnering with TeamBonding, generously donated backpacks filled with school supplies to the Wayside Multi, which serves local youth and families. These backpacks were distributed to children and teens who will benefit from having the tools they need to start the school year with confidence. Some backpacks were distributed to students through Project Literacy, a program offering free English classes through the Watertown Free Public Library, where they were met with enthusiasm.

One of the staff members from Project Literacy shared, “The kids got to come pick which one they wanted, and the delight in the room was real. All the kids left wearing their backpacks with big smiles on their faces, and the parents were very grateful.”

The Wayside Multi is grateful for Addgene’s and TeamBonding’s generous contribution and its positive impact on the youth and families we serve. Their support, along with the collaboration between community programs, helps to create stronger, more resilient communities.

Thank you, Addgene, for being a thoughtful and impactful part of our work.

Find out more about Wayside’s Community Education and Outreach
here: https://www.waysideyouth.org/community-education-outreach-services/#multiService

Click here for full article.

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Q&A with Laura Kurman Who is Retiring from Wayside Multi Service Center After More Than 30 Years

Wayside Team — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:33:31 +0000

For more than three decades, Laura Kurman has been working to help those in need in Watertown. She retired as Executive Director of the Wayside Multi Service Center at the end of June, and looked back on her time.

Kurman spoke with Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose in her office at the house on North Beacon Street that serves as the offices for the Wayside Multi Service Center in early June. She began working in that building before it was even Wayside, back when it was part of the City of Watertown.

See a portion of the interview with Kurman below. Paid subscribers of Watertown News’ Patreon can listen to the entire interview. Click here for more information.

Watertown News: Thank you for sitting down with me, Laura. We’re talking because you’ve come to the end of quite a long career with the Wayside Multi Service Center in Watertown. And since a lot of people know you or may not know you, but probably know Wayside’s contributions to Watertown, I was thinking it’d be a great way to sit down with you and hear about your career and what’s going to be coming up for Wayside. It’s probably hard to sum up, but what, when you look back, what do you do you have what do you feel proudest about when you look at your Wayside time?

Laura Kurman: That is a good question. I just hit 35 years last week. Yeah, May 29. And so there’s a lot to think back on, but also a lot to finish up. And maybe never feel like I finished up, but passing on as much as I possibly can. I have a lot of things that I’m proud of, so I’ll just list a few, but sure I certainly have to speak first, of being proud of my staff and past and present for all these years, incredible people that have come through here worked so hard and diligently and dedicatedly to the people of the community and in so many different ways, and also a lot of interns. I mean, just so many people have come through, more than I can count for sure. So I’m always I’m really proud when I sit and listen to them and see them in meetings, or hear about what they’ve done and know that they’ve built these strong relationships in the community that I had a part of helping to begin, and then they went off and built their own.

WN: Is this what you set out to do when you were in college? How did you come about to this field?

LK: I have, I pretty much my whole career, has been working with youth and families in nonprofit human services. I didn’t start out that way. I wanted to be an anthropologist in college, but that changed quickly because of, interestingly, a statistics course that was really difficult, and I just sort of went, “Well, maybe this is not what I want to do,” and I switched to social work. And so it’s been a long time. I don’t know that I knew that I would want to work with youth and families. So I have done that. It’s just a different ways that things have gone through the years.

WN: What brought you to Watertown and Wayside specifically?

LK: I was in Philadelphia, and we I lived in California, and then my husband and I moved here to be closer to family, and I interviewed here, and I got the job. And at the time, we were the Human Services Department for the Town. So I was hired as a Town — now City, it’s called — employee. And after a few years, things changed. In the early ’90s, the Human Services Department was no longer and we became part of a private nonprofit, which then became, very soon after, with Wayside, and that’s where I stayed.

WN: Were you always in this house?

LK: I literally am in the same office. It looks a little nicer. It was painted.

Laura Kurman, middle, received a lifetime achievement award at the Watertown Youth Coalition’s Community Spirit Awards. Also pictured are Program Coordinator at Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Stephanie Sutherland-Ramsey (left) and Vice President of Community Services at Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Andrea Salzman. (Courtesy of Wayside Multi Service Center)

Continue Reading…

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Wayside Honors Juneteenth 2025

Wayside Team — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:45:03 +0000

Dear Wayside Community,

Thank you for being here to commemorate this powerful and sacred day—Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated remembrance of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, freedom finally reached the last remaining enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. It was a day of delayed liberation but also of profound resilience, dignity, and hope. Today, we gather not only to remember but also to honor. We honor the ancestors who endured unspeakable suffering yet held on to their humanity. We honor the leaders, known and unknown, who fought for freedom, justice, and civil rights in the face of immense danger. And we honor the generations that followed—who have continued to push forward, to build, to uplift, and to love in the face of adversity. Juneteenth is not just a Black holiday—it is an American one. It is a moment for truth-telling, for celebration, and for recommitment. A moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still must go to achieve true equity and justice for all. Let today be a reminder: freedom is not a one-time event. It is a continuous pursuit; a collective responsibility. So, as we raise our voices in joy, remembrance, and pride, let us also raise our vision for the future: one rooted in inclusion, accountability, and love. May we leave here committed to building a nation where the full dignity of every person is honored, not just in word, but in action. Thank you, and happy Juneteenth.

What Is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865—the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free. This news came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln. For over 250,000 Black people in Texas, this delayed declaration marked the moment when freedom finally arrived.

The delay was not just a matter of communication—it was a result of active resistance to Black liberation and systemic oppression that allowed slavery to continue in the South despite its legal end. Juneteenth reveals how the gap between policy and practice has long shaped the lived experience of Black Americans. It reminds us that justice delayed is justice denied—and that liberation must be fully realized, not just promised.

Over time, Juneteenth has evolved from a regional observance to a national celebration of Black resilience, joy, and cultural pride. It honors the legacy of those who endured and resisted slavery, and it uplifts generations who have continued the struggle for civil rights, equity, and dignity. Today, Juneteenth calls on all of us to reflect, to learn, and to act—to build a future that reflects the freedom and justice our ancestors fought to achieve.

How Wayside Celebrates and Acknowledges Juneteenth

Wayside designated Juneteenth as an official paid holiday for all staff—a chance to rest, reflect, and rejoice.waysideyouth.org+14waysideyouth.org+14waysideyouth.org+14
Across our programs—Framingham, Waltham, Watertown, Lowell, Somerville—we’ll host community reflections, staff-led discussions, and youth art workshops.
Join us at local events! Scan the QR code below to explore celebrations in Boston, Framingham, Worcester, and beyond.
Wayside Juneteenth Archives waysideyouth.org+14waysideyouth.org+14waysideyouth.org+14

Our Call to Action

Juneteenth reminds us: freedom is not complete; it is an ongoing community effort.
Wayside asks each of us to:

Deepen anti-racist work through policy, training, and self-reflection
Elevate Black-led voices and expertise
Prioritize equitable access in mental health, housing, education, and community spaces

Learning & Growing Together

This Juneteenth, we invite you to learn more about the powerful work of local Black-led organizations, and to support them in word and action.

Community Events

Date	Event	Location
Jun 18	Gospel Choir Concert (“Echoes…”)	Strand Theatre (Dorchester)
Jun 19	Flag‑Raising & Parade	Roxbury & NCAAA Museum
Jun 19	MFA Boston Free Day	Huntington Ave, Boston
Jun 19	Gardner Museum Free Day	Isabella Stewart Gardner
Jun 19	ICA Boston Celebration	Seaport & Watershed
Jun 19	Black Voices Exhibit Opening	Museum of African American History
Jun 19	Harbor Islands Program	Georges Island
Jun 19	Natick Common Celebration	Natick Common
Jun 21	Framingham Juneteenth Celebration	Farm Pond Park, Framingham

Documentaries & Podcasts

High on the Hog (Netflix)
1619 Podcast (New York Times)
Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom (PBS)

Guide to Black Owned Businesses

buyblackmainstreet.com

Guide to Black Owned Restaurants

bostoninsider.org

Juneteenth Picture Book List

Juneteenth for Young Readers: A Picture Book List to Honor and Celebrate Juneteenth

Thank you for joining us in honoring this day. Your presence, your commitment, your care—are all acts of liberation. We move forward with joy, radical love, and collective responsibility.

In solidarity & hope,
Wayside Youth & Family Support Network

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” — Fannie Lou Hamer

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Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Wins 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award(s) for Innovation, Purpose & Values

Wayside Team — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 17:33:14 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Wins 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award(s) for Innovation, Purpose & Values

FRAMINGHAM, MA, April 15 – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has announced that it is a 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence winner for the second consecutive year. Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 17-year history of surveying and celebrating people-first organizations nationally and across 60 regional markets.

Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awards recognize organizations that excel in specific areas of workplaces culture:

Innovation

This award will celebrate organizations who have embedded innovation into their culture and create an environment where new ideas come from all employees.

Purpose & Values

This award celebrates organizations who have both embedded their mission and values into their culture and are efficient in their work to bring it into reality.

Top Workplaces awards are based on feedback from a research-backed employee engagement survey. Details about how Wayside Youth & Family Support Network builds a great workplace culture are available on Top Workplaces

“The true strength of any organization, regardless of the industry, is the workforce. Wayside is so fortunate to have such talented and dedicated employees who make a real impact in our communities,” said Sara McCabe, President and CEO.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

ABOUT WAYSIDE YOUTH & FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK

Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit https://www.waysideyouth.org

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Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Receives $20,000 Grant from Watertown Community Foundation to Provide Emergency Assistance for Local Families

Wayside Team — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 17:23:01 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 15, 2025

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Receives $20,000 Grant from Watertown Community Foundation to Provide Emergency Assistance for Local Families

WATERTOWN, MA – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center in Watertown has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation to provide emergency assistance gift cards to local households facing urgent financial crises.

These funds will help Watertown residents struggling with unforeseen hardships by covering essential needs such as overdue utility bills, transportation, moving costs, medical prescriptions, food, and personal care supplies. Priority will be given to households that do not qualify for existing state or federal assistance programs.

“We are deeply grateful to the Watertown Community Foundation for their commitment to supporting vulnerable families in our community,” said Laura Kurman, Director of the Multi-Service Center of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. “This funding will provide immediate relief to individuals and families experiencing unexpected financial strain, helping them maintain stability during difficult times.”

The Watertown Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that serve the local community, striving to support the most vulnerable, invest in health and well-being of the Watertown community, foster community engagement and leadership, advance education and youth development, and promote the arts and protect the environment.

Wayside’s Multi-Service Center through its’ Social Service Resource Program, funded by the City of Watertown, provides comprehensive support to individuals and families in Watertown, offering critical resources to those in need. This grant will further Wayside’s mission of strengthening family well-being and community stability.

For more information about Wayside Youth & Family Support Network visit WaysideYouth.org.

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Comprehensive Resources for LGBTQIA+ Support, Advocacy, and Equality

Wayside Team — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 15:37:51 +0000

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention nonprofit for young LGBTQIA+ people. You can contact the organization on its 24/7 hotline at 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) or message someone on TrevorChat for counseling support and crisis intervention.

Visit the website

Equality Federation

The Equality Federation is a nonprofit organization that works with state-based advocacy groups to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+ people, while also providing up-to-date tracking on legislation that affects queer and trans people.

Visit the website

The National Coalition for the Homeless

With a network of activists, advocates, providers, and more, the National Coalition for the Homeless seeks to end homelessness across the U.S., while providing education and resources for those who may already be in need of shelter.

Visit the website

The National LGBTQ Task Force

The National LGBTQ Task Force is a coalition of activists dedicated to mobilizing and organizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in the hope of promoting progressive change.

Visit the website

The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

A nonprofit dedicated to ending discrimination against transgender people, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund provides pro bono services to low-income trans and nonbinary people, while also leading impact litigation and more.

Visit the website

Trans People of Color Coalition

The Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC) is the only national social justice nonprofit dedicated to supporting trans people of color.

Visit the website

Trans Lifeline

Run for and by trans people, Trans Lifeline offers a grassroots hotline at (877) 565-8860 in an effort to connect trans people to community support and resources.

Visit the website

TransAthlete

For any students, coaches, or administrators dealing with discrimination in sports, TransAthlete acts as a resource that breaks down the policies for trans athletes around the world, while providing templates for letters to write to legislators and more.

Visit the website

Campus Pride Index

A free online tool for prospective students to investigate the LGBTQIA-inclusive policies, programs, and practices of higher institutions across the United States.

Visit the website

Point Foundation

An organization offering support and resources to LGBTQIA+ students across the United States, with scholarships awarded each year, as well as leadership and community resources.

Visit the website

LGBTQIA+ Victory Fund

The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund seeks to support pro-equality, pro-choice LGBTQIA+ candidates at all levels of government, with the goal of increasing the number of queer and trans politicians in office through fundraising, education, and more.

Visit the website

Hey I’m Trans

A step-by-step guide for trans people trying to navigate coming out at home, at work, or even online.

Visit the website

The Bisexual Resource Center

The Bisexual Resource Center seeks to connect bi, pan, and queer people with resources and support through various events and educational campaigns.

Visit the website

The National Center for Lesbian Rights

The first national LGBTQIA+ legal organization founded by women, the NCLR is a nonprofit, public interest law firm that is committed to advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ people through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education.

Visit the website

Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal offers legal representation, advocacy, and more for LGBTQIA+ folks and people living with HIV who have experienced any form of discrimination.

Visit the website

SAGE

A national advocacy and services organization that is dedicated to aiding LGBTQIA+ elders, with over 70 partner centers located across the United States.

Visit the website

The Anti-Violence Project

A free, 24/7 crisis intervention hotline provided in English and Spanish at (212) 714-1141, the Anti-Violence Project seeks to help survivors of violence who are LGBTQIA+ or affected by HIV.

Visit the website

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Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Named Boston Globe Top Workplace for Second Consecutive Year

Wayside Team — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:23:15 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 12, 2024

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Named Boston Globe Top Workplace for Second Consecutive Year

FRAMINGHAM, MA (December 8, 2024) – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is honored to be named a Boston Globe Top Workplace for 2024, marking the second consecutive year the organization has received this distinction.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them best, their employees. This year, 175 companies made the Globe’s annual Top Places to Work list, including 39 newcomers. In all, the employee engagement company Energage, invited more than 8,000 organizations with employees in Massachusetts to participate. 68,000 workers at 323 companies rated their employers on leadership, values, training, benefits, and other metrics. There are four categories: small (50-99 employees); medium (100-249); large (250-999); and largest (1,000 or more). Wayside Youth and Family Support Network was ranked 50 out of 55 employers in the large category. This recognition underscores Wayside’s ongoing commitment to creating a supportive, equitable, and employee-centered workplace culture.

As highlighted in Boston Globe’s coverage, Wayside’s focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continues to set it apart. One standout initiative is its approach to equity in health insurance benefits. Employees earning less than $25 per hour receive a discounted health insurance rate, reducing disparities among staff. “We have not ever had a single higher-paid employee complain. I think that’s part of the Wayside culture,” said Guimel DeCarvalho, Chief Information Officer. “If any of our policies or procedures is creating some kind of disparity, we try to create some new policy that will fix that.”

This innovative approach resonates with staff. Trini Swinnen, a Human Resources Generalist and immigrant from Argentina, shared how the discounted health insurance played a pivotal role in her decision to join Wayside two years ago. “The country I came from, the health system is free. When I moved to the US, I learned it is very expensive to get the health care you need,” said Swinnen. “Getting a lower rate was a relief. I really feel that they care about their employees and support employees in the best way they can.”

In addition to equitable health benefits, Wayside supports employees with a wide range of programs, including assistance for immigrants navigating the green card process and creating a workplace environment where all staff feel valued and supported.

Wayside remains dedicated to its mission of serving children, youth, and families through a range of mental health and community-based programs. This recognition reinforces its values of equity, compassion, and collaboration. For more information about Wayside Youth & Family Support Network and its programs, please visit waysideyouth.org.

About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.waysideyouth.org.

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