Background

BYS was founded by Executive Director, Jana Karp, M. Ed, after working in the Boston community for over a decade as both a school teacher in Roxbury and a home-based case manager in Dorchester. Karp’s work has allowed her to gain input directly from families about their needs and the types of services they find most helpful. Karp identified the substantial need for a program that combined clinical support, after school care, case management, educational advocacy, and creative therapeutic models in one facility based center. Through her work in Boston, Karp has become familiar with the specific needs of urban children that have experienced trauma, and as a response, she designed the program to be sensitive to the specific needs of these children and their families.

A word from Executive Director, Jana Karp, M. Ed
As a former teacher in an urban community, it is my belief that education and quality child-focused services have the potential to provide under resourced children with opportunities for success that they would not otherwise be afforded. Working in the inner-city communities of Boston has exposed me to the specific challenges that children who have experienced trauma face in all areas of their lives. The impact of trauma on children cannot be overstated and it is imperative that they be given the support and resources they need to heal and develop into healthy and secure adults. It is this belief that has motivated me to start BYS, which strives to help children overcome the challenges they have faced in their own lives through an innovative approach to integrated therapies. My experience working with children and families has shown me the importance of supporting children as students, family members, community members, artists, athletes, leaders, friends, and survivors of trauma. BYS seeks to provide children with a supportive community in which they can form healthy identities, develop life skills, and maximize their potential. My work at BYS allows me to see the unparalleled resiliency, strength, and compassion that children possess and reaffirms my commitment to this work each day.