Y Monthly Monday Mission Update
All Y Roads Lead to Membership
“The Y Before & After School Enrichment program is so important for my husband and me to be able to get to work on time and trust that our kids are well cared for before and after school. We are both so grateful that it is available and we feel like it is also beneficial for them to get time to be outside, play with friends, and learn about giving back to the community.”
~ Natalie, Y Before & After School Enrichment parent at Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School and member of the Walter & Betty Ward Family Y in Abingdon.
The Y Before & After School Enrichment (otherwise known as “BASE”) program Natalie describes was designed for busy working parents just like her. As a working parent myself, it is hard to imagine almost anything more important than the sense of trust and peace of mind Natalie is describing. This peace of mind that the Y provides for parents of elementary school kids five days a week across 37 Y BASE sites in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Harford Counties, as well as the 19 grant-funded after school program sites we run in Baltimore City and Harford County schools located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty.
In addition to being a safe place for kids before and after school, daily Y BASE activities offer a lot of things that aren’t provided during the regular school day, such as art, imaginative play, on-site "field trips" with special guests, healthy snacks, and daily exercise. In addition to all of that, our grant-funded “out of school time” programming in high schools includes time for homework support, as well as college and career readiness activities based on themes designed to promote discovery through science, technology, engineering, and professional trade opportunities.
As depicted above, a core part of the Y’s “All In On Community” strategy is to have all Y youth development programs be a pathway to membership in the Y community. In fact, all families with children and/or youth in Y preschool, Head Start, camp, BASE, grant-funded out of school time programs, and mentoring are also Y members. This was an intentional decision meant to extend opportunities for the whole family well beyond the school walls and the school year into the year-round opportunities, programs and community found in our Y family centers. Much more than meets the eye, this helps to combat the twin crises of loneliness and inactivity that are so prevalent across our society today.
I am so glad that Natalie and her family get to experience the totality of the Y community. Thank you to Natalie and to all those we serve for your trust and engagement with us.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland