Ywca York

Childcare and youth development programs:our learning centers provide nurturing and educational environments for hundreds of children annually. We serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. Our classrooms are where children develop early literacy and math skills and learn to respect The earth and each other. Our commitment to end racism and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people is reflected throughout our curriculum, special events, and classrooms. We are committed to reducing The stress of working parents who rely on us for affordable and quality childcare programs. We have a grant for 16 children to be in mixed-age classrooms for children six months to three years old or until they can enter The pre-k counts program. The pre-k counts program is an established Pennsylvania department of education program designed to provide high-quality pre-kindergarten opportunities for families at no cost. Our pre-k counts programs are held at The following locations: Ywca York, lincoln charter school, York suburban school district, eastern York school district, and northeastern school district. Pre-k counts is a state-funded program for three to five-year-old's, meeting family income guidelines, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm during school. We offer wraparound care, which allows The children to be at The pre-k counts location starting at 6:30 am and continuing to 5:30 pm. Our school-aged childcare program provides students with a safe, nourishing environment where kids can relax and socialize before school, decompress, and play after school. During The program hours, children are fed breakfast (am) and a snack (pm), can play in The gymnasium and can swim at our indoor pool. Our dedicated staff offers unique hands-on learning activities for students throughout The school year to reinforce that learning can be fun and applicable to their growing needs. During The summer, we offer full-day summer camp at our property, camp cann-edi-on, located off The strinestown 83 exit. Camp cann-edi-on represents one of The region's few affordable summer camp opportunities, offering scholarship assistance for lower-income families and government-funded support. Our camp allows our youth to experience and connect with The outdoors. Camp explorers, for The four to six-year-olds, can attend camp cann-edi-on weekly. Youth programs: our youth programs (quantum opportunities program and neighborhood youth ambassadors) focus on Young people's strengths and challenge them to expect and create great things in their lives. As such, youth can explore new worlds, discover their full potential, and develop toward healthy adulthood. Neighborhood youth ambassadors provides high school students with an adult mentor to visit neighborhoods in York city and work with The youth group and The community to clean up trash, weeds, and other items to build a neighborhood everyone would be proud to live in. We currently have one adult mentor with a group of one to four youths. The youths are paid for their work in The local neighborhood, which gives them pride in doing The work and builds a sense of community. The quantum opportunities program (qop) is a four-cornerstone approach that provides a comprehensive success plan for The participating youth, grades 9 through 12. Students receive personal development training, financial literacy, academic support, career and goal development, understanding of racial and social justice, and other tools to help them be well-rounded individuals. Qop students are encouraged to participate in up to 250 hours in each area, including community service, developmental and cultural opportunities, and volunteerism each year in qop. They are consistently provided 24/7 supportive adult mentoring. Successful qop participants can each earn incentives up to 6,000 dollars in an escrow account for their use for anything associated with preparation for higher education, including application fees, dorm expenses, textbooks, tuition and/or a computer. By providing these incentives, Ywca York assists youth from socioeconomically disadvantaged households with more equitable opportunities. Fiscal year 2023-2024 accomplishments: *265 children in state funded pre-k counts between The ages of 3 - 5*200 children in The school age before and after care programs *175 youth attended summer camp at comp cann-edi-on *75 children attended creative explorers summer camp full of swimming and various steam activities *41 children enrolled in The early learning that are for children 6 weeks of age to 3 years old

Health & fitness: our yoga and aquatics departments aim to improve The quality of life for people of all ages through physical fitness and health education. Programs aim to prevent adult health problems and develop healthy habits in youth. Our programs strengthen bodies and build self-esteem and confidence. The Ywca York offers many aqua-exercise programs and learn-to-swim classes. Our group yoga classes focus on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Ywca York has introduced mindfulness across our organization. Every staff and committee meeting begins with a mindful moment. Our pre-k counts kiddos are learning breathing techniques and yoga. Clients who are domestic violence survivors are exploring how their brains function under stress and how to control their fight-flight-freeze impulses. Our Young people learn The value of teamwork and The importance of safety while developing skills that will last a lifetime. The York synchro team has competed at The local, regional, and national levels. The team has placed swimmers in The top eight in The regional age group championships and The junior olympics. Many of our swimmers have competed at The collegiate level and have ranked nationally. The Ywca York also offers lifeguard classes and refresher classes for current lifeguards throughout The year. Training includes certification in first aid and cpr for The professional rescuer. Fiscal year 2023-2024 accomplishments: * 904 people participated in swim lessons * 80 aquatics members* 309 swim lessons provided * The York synchro team had 15 members this past year ranging in age from 2nd to 12th grade. This is The only synchronized swim team in York county. In april 2024, two of our synchro participants qualified for The solo routine competition at The junior/senior nationals and youth junior nationals held in houston, Texas. * continue to offer a variety of aquatic classes including different levels of aqua exercise and programs for silver sneakers members.

Victims services: The Ywca York's victim services department is recognized by The Pennsylvania coalition against domestic violence and The Pennsylvania coalition against rape. Ywca York is The only comprehensive victim services provider in York county, offering 24-hour hotline assistance, emergency shelter, transitional housing, information and referral, hospital response, individual and group counseling for adults and children, legal advocacy, medical advocacy, abuse and sexual violence prevention education and community outreach. Our legal advocates work daily at The York county judicial center to assist clients with protection from abuse orders. Our attorney and paralegal service clients with civil legal matters and court cases. These wide-ranging services are offered at no cost to those that receive them. Fiscal year 2023-2024 accomplishments:* 876 hotline calls were received* provided emergency shelter or transitional housing to 182 adults and children* 3,041 people trained by community education staff* 7,772 shelter nights provided for adults and children * 249 individuals received counseling from our victim assistance center* 846 direct service counseling hours from our victim assistance center

Community initiatives & racial justice services: * The community education team actively participated in 155 community events by either hosting or attending events organized by our partners. * The legal advocacy director played a pivotal role as The keynote speaker and panel moderator at The ywomenvote genz Ywca York townhall. This event focused on important issues leading up to The 2024 election and encouraged community members to engage in activism beyond just voting. * in october 2024, we held a financial literacy workshop specifically for shelter and bridge residents. * we have made significant progress with The completion of The construction of 633 s george st and 311 reinecke place, which now house our community education and legal departments, respectively. * successfully completed an association-wide phone upgrade and conversion. *launched little hoopers, a developmental basketball program for children aged 3 to 8 at camp, reflecting our commitment to youth development. *we launched a mentorship program called "building bridges." In this program, new teachers visit The classrooms of experienced teachers on a weekly basis to observe and enhance their professional development. *we renovated The floors and countertops in The early learning center using funds from The ocdel expansion grant. *our annual race against racism 5k run/walk, held in april 2024, was a resounding success due to increased participation and unwavering support from our community. *our give local York campaign was also successful, with a rise in donor participation and contributions that significantly impacted our aquatics program. *The racial justice committee hosted its inaugural "state of black life in York" summit, a comprehensive event that effectively raised awareness about economics, education, arts, community involvement, and social justice. *in honor of jessica hummel, our inaugural justice gala, aimed at raising awareness for victims and survivors of sexual violence, was successful in increasing both donor contributions and overall awareness.