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Launched in London in 1844 and in Boston seven years later, the YMCA has the benefits and drawbacks of a long history. With outstanding name recognition, thanks in part to a hit song from the 1970s that never really went away, the organization constantly deals with outdated and overly narrow perceptions of the range of services it offers. In particular, the federated organization, which serves over 4 million kids and teens annually, has become a leader in providing early childhood services.

Heidi Brasher is senior director of Product Line Cohorts, Strategy and Innovation Movement Services of YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office of the Y in the United States. She says the 2,650 local Ys in the U.S. are the experts at subject matter and service delivery. 鈥淭he best practices, models and strategies come from them,鈥� she says. Depending on the needs and strengths of the population they serve, the local Ys might adopt skill-based learning, scaffolded learning, whole child supports, social emotional learning or other approaches.

Operating in urban, suburban and rural settings, with annual budgets that range from $500,000 to $200 million or more, they come in a wide variety of flavors. 鈥淲e like to say, If you鈥檝e seen one Y, you鈥檝e seen one Y,鈥� Brasher quips. 鈥淲hat they have in common is a commitment to serving their communities.鈥�

Another thing all the Ys have in common is they way they rose to the challenge of the global pandemic. 鈥淚n March 2020,鈥� Brasher recalls, 鈥渢hey all shut down, and the next day they were providing emergency child care to essential workers, and emergency food to families in need.鈥�

Brasher shared about how three different YMCAs are amplifying the strengths of families with young children.

YMCA of the Triangle, Raleigh

鈥淥ur mission says 鈥榝or all,鈥欌�� notes Mariela Dunston-Torres, senior director of community supported programs. (The mission statement reads: 鈥淭o put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.鈥�) Her Y provides nutritional support through repurposed school buses, as well as academic programs like virtual kindergarten readiness programs and a subsidized summer kindergarten readiness program as part of Camp High Hopes.

Dunston-Torres mentions an entrepreneur mother of eight children, six of whom attended Camp Hope, who couldn鈥檛 run her business without the Y. 鈥淭he kiddos learn to stand in line. They learn to raise their hand. They learn to recognize letters, numbers and shapes. Now, when they start school, the teachers won鈥檛 think they don鈥檛 know how to learn.鈥� A former elementary school teacher, Dunston-Torres notes that her part of North Carolina includes a mixture of African American, Latinx, refugee and Caucasian people. 鈥淭hey might be food insecure. They might be undocumented. They鈥檙e good at hiding. Many don鈥檛 trust the government, but they trust us,鈥� she says, noting this trust partly stems from the progress the organization has made on prioritizing racial equity.

YMCA of Greater Cincinnati

Trish Kitchell took a camp counselor job at the YMCA 31 years ago, and she has stayed with the organization ever since, so more than most people she has experienced the out-of-date ideas people have about the Y as a 鈥済ym and swim鈥� site. Today she is vice president of youth development. 鈥淲hen COVID hit,鈥� she says, 鈥減eople really saw how we can serve. We showed up for the community. We escalated our services.鈥�

Collaboration increased with public libraries and other community partners. 鈥淲e dropped the walls and came together,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd now everyone is looking around at what we accomplished, and we鈥檙e saying, 鈥楲et鈥檚 not rebuild those walls.鈥欌�� She is proudest of how they connect to hard-to-reach families, citing virtual preschool and the supports they provide caregivers in informal settings.

Philanthropic support from local corporations made this initiative possible. While she acknowledges the ongoing challenges of a decimated child care workforce, she is optimistic about partnerships with local colleges to recruit and train educators. 鈥淲e鈥檙e rethinking our business model to support the workforce in this new reality,鈥� she says. Brasher, from Y-USA, says there is renewed commitment to honoring the profession through pay and credentialing. They are also actively investigating how to bring retirees and other nontraditional workers into the field.

Valley of the Sun YMCA, Phoenix

Jenna Cooper, associate vice president of youth development & community relations, says the population they serve is 60% people of color and growing more diverse all the time. The mother of a one-year-old boy, she takes advantage of her Y鈥檚 benefit of free child care for all full-time staff. This local was poised to open five new child care centers last year, but COVID threw them a curveball.

Now they are back and better than ever. A $25 million gift from MacKenzie Scott to the local United Way has laid the groundwork for a new preschool partnership that will expand services to include one- and two-year olds. Each site will have an early learning director and lead teachers for each classroom. They are also creating more professional early learning positions. The United Way鈥檚 Dr. Melissa Boydston points to , a five-year plan for 鈥淢ighty Change in Maricopa County,鈥� as how the community recovers and rebuilds. Third grade reading is a priority of the plan, and, she says, 鈥淭he YMCA has been a shining example of how we achieve those goals.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.