RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Y AFTER SCHOOL BUILDS COMMUNITY WHILE BUILDING SKILLS
F
rom middle schoolers in Queens raving about their Y After School days in elementary, to parents in the Bronx describing the Y as “essential,” to kids in Brooklyn saying the Y helped them try new things and be more social—across the city Y After School
leaves an indelible mark on children and families. Serving up to 10,000 kids in a typical year, Y After School delivers projectbased learning opportunities focused on different themes throughout the year.
While many students cite the important role Y staff play in helping them with homework and teaching them new things like volleyball, when asked to sum up the Y in one word, countless children come to the same conclusion: community.•
“YMCA After School has been the difference between being able to feed my family or not because I know they are in a great place with great people while I go to work.” – Parent at the Castle Hill Y’s program at PS 106 in the Bronx
(l) A participant at the Broadway Y’s program at PS 22 in Staten Island created a special cake for the Y theme of Kindness. “Kindness means to smile always even if you’re having a bad day, which is why I put a smiley heart on my cake.” (r) Students at the Harlem Y’s program at PS 96 participated in a ceremony where they locked their hopes and dreams onto a wall outside the Y’s office – so staff can help keep them safe.
EARLY DAYS
THE Y’S EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMMING DOUBLES CAPACITY
T
he Y has been operating early childhood programs since the 1960s and continues to look for ways to create nurturing spaces to support NYC families. In 2021, our early childhood capacity grew from 325 slots to 625. With
2022 ISSUE 1
support from the NYC Department of Education, we started Pre-K for All services at the West Side Y and started a brand-new early childhood program at the Coney Island Y. We also started offering 3-K for All services and added classrooms at the Cross Island, Flushing, Long Island City, and Ridgewood Ys. The
Broadway Y in Staten Island also added classroom space to its longstanding early childhood program.•
Early childhood partciipants at the West Side, South Shore, and Long Island City Ys focus on play-based learning and social time.
3
