YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ERIE

EARLY LEARNING & SCHOOL-AGE ENRICHMENT At the YMCA, we strive to help all children reach their potential. We cultivate the values and skills that lead to positive behaviors, better health, and educational achievement. Woven into the fabric of the YMCA mission is a commitment to strengthening families. YMCA child care programs relieve the burden of balancing work and family, and enable parents of children in our care to remain gainfully employed, knowing their children are thriving in a safe, high-quality environment that offers a range of experiences that enrich social-emotional, cognitive and physical growth. During weather related remote school days and closures, the Y provided a safe environment for students so their parents can go to work. Expenses include subsidies and reduced fees that make participation possible for more than 60% of the children we engage. Our YMCA provides reduced fees for child care services. In 2025, the YMCA provided $79,062 in scholarships to 89 children to assist with their fees. The Y continues to accept children through the state subsidy program. We participated in the Pennsylvania tax credit program (Pre-K EITC) that allows businesses to recieve tax credits for supporting our pre-kindergarten education programs. Last year, more than $31,000 was contributed to the Y. In 2025, more than 1,325 participants were served in licensed child care. We also provide free family fun events to promote healthy family interactions and enrich relationships between parents and children enrolled in our program. Our high-quality licensed child care promotes educational, emotional, physical, and social growth for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children from diverse backgrounds. We participate in the Keystone STARS Quality Initiative at all 13 licensed child care locations. The YMCA continues to be a leader in early care and education. PRE-K COUNTS Our Y is committed to providing educational equity to those most at risk, creating a foundation for success. The YMCA of Greater Erie partnered with the State of Pennsylvania to offer free preschool to low-income children through the State's Pre-K Counts program. Pre-K Counts is an initiative created to build and strengthen pre-kindergarten partnerships in communities so that each community can create a self-sustaining system for providing high-quality early learning experiences to children in all settings. This program sponsored over 160 children in 2025. SUMMER CAMP The YMCA delivered summer camp programming to more than 335 children, combining educational enrichment, physical activity, and character development for children ages 5-12. Camps featured on-site field trips, arts, STEM, games, and social-emotional learning. Scholarships were awarded to ensure all children, regardless of income, could attend. Programs reduced summer learning loss and improved child wellness. COMMUNITY SCHOOL The YMCA of Greater Erie is the lead non-profit partner at Harding Elementary School providing on-site support to students, families, and faculty. COMMUNITY RECREATION In collaboration with the City of Erie and the Housing Authority, the YMCA served more than 475 youth (ages 6-18) through free recreation, mentoring, and educational enrichment programs. Programs included Summer Parks & Rec, and year-round Kids Clubs for youth in low-income housing. Activities included sports, art, theater, and health education, with meals and snacks provided.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING Our Y is committed to improving the overall wellbeing of our community. We strive to bring families closer together, encourage healthy habits, and foster connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. As a result, thousands of people in our community are receiving the support, guidance, and resources they need to achieve greater health in spirit, mind, and body. Our programs are designed to help people create realistic goals for self-improvement and emphasize disease prevention through regular exercise, proper nutrition, stress management, and health education. We collaborate with other agencies to provide programs structured specifically for our Active Older Adults, including land and water exercise, as well as an opportunity for social interaction. In addition, the Y created a Community Wellness Resources page within our website to give online users access to health information, family activities, and more. Our aquatic programs start developing physical skills in infancy through parent/child swim class and continue up through our Arthritis aquatics class for seniors; our family swim program gives adults and children shared time in the pool to appreciate one another and promote intergenerational relationships. Through holistic health programs, the Y offers several natural healing therapeutic services in our menu of community programs including energy healing, reiki, qigong, pre/postnatal yoga, and a community education series tackling topics related to posture, herbs, acupuncture, chronic pain, and others. Many of these programs are adapted for youth and family audiences throughout the year. Our Y continues to emphasize serving populations with special needs including adaptive swimming lessons, movement and strength building classes for youth and adults, support groups for those living with chronic illness, and youth recreation programs/day camp/afterschool experiences for those in the autism spectrum. The Y's chronic disease prevention programs in 2025 included diabetes prevention, fall prevention, smoking cessation and high blood pressure self-monitoring. Funding received from the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Assistance program provided the resources necessary to fully subsidize program costs for those who were income and health eligible. COMMUNITY OUTREACH The Y operated the Rodger Young Community Pool in collaboration with the City of Erie and the Erie Housing Authority, enrolling more than 370 children, various groups serving children aged 6-18 and teach Safety Around Water.