Asheville
Fostering Families: Empowerment Childcare Provides a Safety Net of Support
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magine you get the get the call that there is a child waiting for you - a child that needs a safe, loving home. Now imagine that as you bring this child home, you realize that although you are ready to provide nurturing stability for this little one, you still have to go to work tomorrow. You need to find childcare. When foster parents Sean and Grace Collins brought 3 month old Dylan home in January 2018, they didn’t get much of a heads up. With a less than 1% vacancy rate for childcare in Asheville and Buncombe County, finding immediate care is near impossible. “We knew what we were signing up for,” explains Sean. “But it is an added complication when you both work full-time and the child care crisis being what it is in Asheville.”
Sean works a very demanding job in construction and Grace works in non-profit as a services coordinator. The couple contacted 10 - 12 centers trying to find an opening with no success. The Collins’ social worker with the Department of Social Services recommended they contact the YWCA about assistance with temporary care. “We get quite a few families in this situation,” said Alesia Summey, Director of Empowerment Childcare. “It’s sad because these families are trying to help [children in our community], and they can’t find care. They are not qualified for this or they can’t afford that and they fall between the cracks.” Alesia worked with the Collins to not only offer the emergency care that they needed so that they could go to work, but also provided professional referrals for child care centers to help the family secure full-time care. “The staff is awesome,” said Sean. “They are welcoming and got to know us and our situation. They really worked with us, offering multiple resources for daycare options. And we knew Dylan was in a good place.” The Collins family utilized YWCA’s Empowerment Childcare for two weeks while they searched for a quality child care center that could offer Dylan an opening. They stuck with it, working hand-in-hand with Alesia, and finally were able to secure full-time childcare. Empowerment Childcare provides temporary childcare services to parents who are in transition, working with social services, continuing their education, or looking for employment. YWCA works closely with Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services, Family Justice Center, NC 2-1-1, and A-B Tech. “For parents to have a place to come and that we can provide care,” said Alesia. “Quality care - not just a babysitting service, but care that they feel comfortable with - until they can get on their feet, makes me proud of what we do here.”
Thank you to our Empowerment Childcare funders: AAUW, Buncombe County Foundation, Buncombe County Navigator, CDBG, and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Beth Maczka, CEO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lyndia Chiles, President Leslie Fay, 1st Vice President Cameron Raley, 2nd Vice President Marian Arledge, Secretary Nona Workman, Treasurer Cathleen Adams Marcie Ball Jesica Gaskin Veronika Gunter Wendy Haner Coryn Harris Joyce Harrison Kendall Oliver Heidi Reiber Betsey Russell Bobbie Short Becky Stone
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
AvL Technologies Asheville Savings Bank CarePartners Foundation Duke Energy Progress HomeTrust Bank The Biltmore Company Eblen Short Stop Stores Webb Investment Services
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Our Power, Our Mission, Our Future
his year’s Stand Against Racism campaign, Our Power, Our Mission, Our Future, focuses on supporting full access and engagement for women and girls of color in the political process. Voting rights and civic engagement are, and have always been, core components of our racial justice work, and this year’s theme certainly comes at a pivotal time as civil rights continue to be attacked and eroded for communities of color. We call on you to get involved in our annual Stand Against Racism efforts to promote racial equity in our schools, businesses, organizations and community as a whole. Throughout the month of April, you will have a multitude of opportunities to connect with others doing anti-racism work to learn, understand and share together. For an ongoing list of Stand Against Racism events, visit: www.ywcaofasheville.org/standagainstracism. Stand Against Racism is a partnership of YWCA Associations throughout the country to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism. This campaign is one part of our larger national strategy to fulfill our mission of eliminating racism. Last year, more than 54 different Stand partners hosted an event in Asheville & Buncombe County. Together as a community we hosted more than 86% of the total Stand events in North Carolina which totaled over 10% in the nation! For more information on getting involved with our racial justice efforts, contact Gerry Leonard, Racial Justice & Outreach Specialist at gleonard@ywcaofasheville.org.
Buncombe County Sheriff Candidate Forum
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t the core of our mission – eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all – YWCA believes that no one should suffer from the negative impacts of institutional and structural racism. For the past two and a half years, YWCA has collaborated with the other members of the Racial Justice Coalition (RJC) to work with Asheville Police Department on best practices around police community relations. RJC continues to work with APD around use of force policy and has engaged community members to attend their deescalation training simulation. These efforts focus on police accountability that ensures everyone goes home safe. As we look towards expanding our advocacy efforts into the county, we are excited to announce the RJC’s Buncombe County Sheriff Candidate Forum on Thursday, April 12, 6 - 8 pm at Hill Street Baptist Church. The candidate forum will take place before early voting, with the Primary Election on May 8, and questions will focuson incorporating policy, training and trust building efforts beyond the city. The General Election for the sheriff race will take place on November 6, 2018.
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Strong Swimmers Make Safer Kids: YWCA Aquatics Partners with Asheville City Preschool
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s the weather gets warmer families head outdoors. Imagine if your child didn’t know how to swim. A trip to the lake with friends, a day on the river, hanging out at the community pool; these activities would be filled with anxiety for parents and children alike. Many low income parents, which includes a disproportionate number of families of color, don’t have the means to afford swim lessons for their children. Both cost and lack of free evening and weekend hours are barriers to these families. Knowing that there is still a disparity in drowning between white children and children of color, the YWCA is committed to ensuring every child in our community has the opportunity to learn to swim.
Working towards this goal YWCA is expanding our swim equity programming to reach more children through their schools. YWCA Aquatics has partnered with Asheville City Schools to provide swim lessons to preschool students. On Monday mornings our pool resonates with the exuberance of over 25 preschoolers in suits and goggles eagerly learning swimming fundamentals. YWCA’s experienced team of instructors, expertly coaches the little swimmers on chipmunk cheeks for holding your breath, airplane arms for swim stroke, and floating on your back. Learning these essential skills will help keep these children safe around the water the rest of their lives while instilling confidence and even a true love of swimming. As students begin to take their final turn practicing kicking their way across the pool, one little boy begins to cry. Not out of fear or apprehension, but as it turns out, he doesn’t want to get out of the pool at all! YWCA has a long history of breaking down economic and racial barriers to swim lessons. This recent expansion of our swim equity initiative is made possible by the Buncombe County Foundation, Fannie Landwrith Foundation, Genesis Foundation, Helen A. Powers Fund, and individual donors like you. We appreciate all our funders who continue to support our efforts to teach the lifesaving skill of swimming to all children in our community.
City of Asheville Community Family Swim Bring your kids, friends, and neighbors to swim every weekend at the YWCA indoor pool for free! Beginning this March, YWCA is partnering with Asheville Parks & Recreation to make Family Swim available to everyone in our Asheville community through this pilot program. “On our first day, we had nearly 30 residents,” said Kitty Schmidt, Director of Aquatics. “This is such a great bridge to our community; for families to enjoy a pool when the outdoor pools are closed.” Join us Saturdays 1:30 - 3:00 pm and Sundays 2:45 - 3:45 pm for City of Asheville Community Family Swim. All children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ASHEVILLE NC PERMIT #73
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ASHEVILLE NC PERMIT #73
185 S. French Broad Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 254-7206 www.ywcaofasheville.org
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A CONVERSATION WITH BETH MACZKA, CEO AND Aleisa Summey, Director of Empowerment Childcare
BM: Tell me a little about your background and history with the YWCA. AS: I’ve been working in childcare for almost 21 years, 16 here at the YW. I volunteered at the YW in high school when it was the old childcare program and came to work at the YW when the new childcare center was opening. At that point I was new and I was young, I learned a lot - I’ve been through 4 levels of ratings. I worked as a teacher for 11 years and then I was promoted to the program coordinator and then to the Director of Empowerment Childcare. BM: How does the Empowerment Childcare (ECC) program relate to the YWCA’s mission? AS: Being able to provide free childcare to parents, who have not had opportunities to grow, so they can go to school to get their GED or get their degree, or find a job. Without childcare they weren’t able to do that. We have empowered a lot of women and families through this program. BM: Can you tell me more about ECC’s pay-by-the-hour childcare? AS: For parents that are working and need care - if they have a doctor’s appointment, court appointment or an appointment that has to do with their job and they work from home - we have pay-by-the hour, which is set up to provide up to 4 hours of care at a time. We’re able to serve all families with short-term care. It is a very critical need. BM: Anything else you would like to share? AS: Coming to the YW, seeing the work that we do as an organization and then being given the chance to empower myself - as a young mother, going to school, working - I consider myself a success story. There is a lot that this organization does that I don’t think people see. And I’ve had the opportunity to experience that. I can’t thank the YWCA enough.
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The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.