Somerset County Young Men's Christian Association Inc

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen: Youth Development is a key area of impact for our organization. Greater Somerset County YMCA offers programs that help young people of all ages to develop the skills and characteristics necessary to thrive. Children in our programs learn the importance of the Y's core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. In 2025, we served over 12,600 children between 0-17 years of age. Through a broad range of programs and services, we support families and promote positive youth development. Our YMCAs offer quality Child Care, Early Childhood Education, After School Care, Summer Camps, Adventure Guides, Family Fitness, Youth Running Clubs, Youth Group Exercise Classes, Saturdays in Motion, Homework Help and Tutoring, Teen Programs, and more. We consistently support families through services addressing academic enrichment, swim lessons, and family bonding activities. All youth programs are designed to promote core values, deepen family connections, and support children and teens in realizing their full potential. 'We are committed to providing safe, supportive environments where all children can learn, grow, and thrive year-round.' - Child Care and Summer Camp Child Care is one of our largest program areas. We offer Infant Care and Preschool (ages 3 months to 5 years) and Before & After School Care (ages 5 - 11 years). Over 300 children are enrolled in our state licensed full-day Child Care and Early Education Centers located at our Hillsborough YMCA and Somerset Hills YMCA branches. Our School Age Child Care programs served nearly 1,300 children across 14 school districts, offering homework help, enrichment, and social-emotional learning. In 2025, over $614,000 in financial assistance supported families with access to quality Child Care services through the Y, which is one in every ten children. We also offer vacation care for children during school breaks. In 2025, over 680 children participated in this offering. Summer Camp is one of the Y's signature programs. In summer 2025, over 1,680 children and teens participated in our traditional camp program, with $416,000 in financial assistance awarded to 294 campers. Camps included outdoor education, archery, gardening, and nature exploration. Camp programs provide supplemental emotional and developmental support to young campers with evidence-based supportive programming for youth experiencing grief or trauma and programming designed to support participants with diverse needs, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Camp Dragonfly, staffed by individuals trained in evidence-based supportive practices for youth experiencing grief or trauma, served 7 children coping with grief or trauma. This program was offered at no cost to participants to minimize stress on the families. Additionally, our camps welcomed 30 children with special needs. Enrollment and participation are based on individual need and program eligibility, without regard to race, sex, or ethnicity, in compliance with applicable federal civil rights laws and nondiscrimination requirements. 'We believe in the potential of teens.' - Youth and Teen Development A growing number of pre-teens and teens benefit from Y programs such as Service Learning Projects, Teen Social Activities, and collaborative programs with area schools and other service providers. Our Accept, Compete, Excel (ACE) program is designed to reduce chronic absenteeism from school. The program supports students in grades 8-12 who are most at jeopardy of falling behind identified based on academic performance, attendance, and other objective indicators. In 2025, 37 students built positive relationships with volunteer mentors and gained support in social-emotional learning, attendance, and academic performance. The Y Achievers program, a no-cost career and college readiness initiative, empowered 27 high school students to pursue academic and professional goals through weekly sessions, internship guidance, and college tours. Teens also participated in our Counselor in Training program, where over 100 youth developed leadership skills by assisting with camp activities. Our Student Advocate program engaged 4 high school students with Y board members and staff, building confidence and leadership through project work and governance exposure. In 2025, we also launched a Youth & Government program in which teens are encouraged to discover their strengths, find their voice, and develop collaborative relationships through civic engagement. In all, 28 students committed to building leadership skills by identifying a community need, developing a solution, and presenting to state government. Greater Somerset County YMCA is one of the largest teen employers in the region. In 2025, 465 employees between the ages of 15 and 19-35% of our workforce-gained foundational job skills at the Y. We believe that a connected family is a healthy family. Parent-child programs and family events help strengthen bonds. Our volunteer-led Saturdays in Motion Program, now in its 33rd year, is the nation's longest-running non-public recreational program for children with autism. In 2025, over 180 children and 170 teen volunteers participated. This one-on-one model supports leadership skills in youth and offers respite for caregivers. To help protect children in our community, we participated in the April 2025 Five Days of Action campaign to raise awareness and prevention around child sexual abuse. Throughout the year, we also hosted events designed to strengthen family life-ranging from parenting seminars on mental health and vaping, to cultural and community events open to all participants, to family nights with games and wellness activities.

FOR HEALTHY LIVING: Improving the health and well-being of our communities: Our YMCAs provide a range of health and wellness services, including group exercise, personal training, swimming, yoga, and stress/nutrition management. These programs promote balance of spirit, mind, and body. Our wellness programs allow everyone to pursue healthy lifestyles. In 2025, over 13,700 adults and 3,500 seniors participated. We believe everyone should learn to swim to promote safety within our communities. In 2025, over 5,100 children and 270 adults enrolled in swim lessons. In addition, we offered our no-cost Safety Around Water program in May and expanded it to local schools and camps. Last year, over 350 children and adults participated. For individuals with special needs, we offered Special Olympics and adaptive aquatics programs. These offerings are designed to ensure accessibility and participation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Our chronic disease wellness programs served nearly 400 adults. Programs included EnhanceFitness for arthritis, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA for cancer survivors, Total Parkinson's, and the CDC's Diabetes Prevention Program. Our Memory Cafe provided support for caregivers and those with dementia. Our staff also conducted well-being checks with over 820 seniors to combat isolation. In 2025, over 121,000 adults engaged in fitness programming. To best serve those who served our country, we launched a Veterans Wellness Initiative in 2025. In the inaugural year, 42 U.S. Veterans pursued health through exercise, nutrition, and mental health opportunities. This program helps Veterans and their families connect with each other through shared understanding of military journeys while improving health and renewing purpose.