Out-of-School-Time Champion: Emily Panyachith

Outstanding Program Director | Adams 12 – Thornton Elementary

For Emily Panyachith, creating an outstanding afterschool program is about more than providing activities after the school day ends. It is about making sure children and families know they are seen, valued, and supported.

Emily, a program director at Thornton Elementary in Adams 12 Five Star Schools, was nominated as an Out-of-School Time Champion for the extraordinary care and commitment she brings to students and families.

Her nominator describes someone who routinely goes above and beyond to give young people the best possible afterschool experience. Emily grew up in a community similar to the one she now serves, and that experience helps fuel her desire to create opportunities for young people that she may not have had herself.

That commitment shows up in both big celebrations and everyday acts of care.

Each year, Emily organizes the PEAK Awards, an event that recognizes students for the hard work they have put into the program. She invests significant time preparing the celebration and creates a fun theme to make the experience memorable for students and families. One year’s celebration, for example, featured a Toy Story theme.

The result is about much more than an awards ceremony. Students get a moment to be recognized for what they have accomplished, while families get an opportunity to celebrate alongside them. Her nominator says the event helps build students’ confidence and self-esteem.

Emily also works hard to build strong family engagement throughout the program, and that connection extends into the summer, when she provides programming that helps families continue working while their children have a place to learn and belong.

But perhaps the clearest example of Emily’s impact comes from what happens when a family needs more than programming.

Her nominator shared the story of a family experiencing homelessness—a single father caring for four children while working to get back on his feet. Emily helped make sure the family had warm clothing, food, laundry detergent, and other necessities.

Then one of the children had a birthday.

The student told his teacher that the family didn’t have money for a birthday cake because they needed the money to do laundry. Emily responded in a characteristically Emily way: she found another way to make sure he knew his birthday mattered. She brought him Taco Bell for lunch and helped make his day special.

It was a small celebration with a much larger message: you matter here.

That care—for the experience of a child, the needs of a family, and the strength of a community—is at the heart of quality out-of-school time programming.

CAP is proud to recognize Emily Panyachith as an Out-of-School Time Champion.