Regional YMCA

Youth Development: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen is a core value for the Regional YMCA. Providing opportunities and encouragement for children to learn and grow, and discover what they can achieve, is what we do best! 373 children were served at our childcare centers in 2023, with $53,221 provided to families in financial assistance, so important to families struggling through the past couple tough years. YMCA child care program means that parents have a safe and welcoming place for their kids to go so that they can continue to work. Our preschool childcare, before & after school care, and school readiness programs offer a safe and nurturing environment and are designed to meet the individual needs of children and provide them with learning skills to help them in school. Our Children's Center in Bethel operates year-round and serves children 3 years to 12 years of age, offering 76 School Readiness funded slots for 3 & 4 year olds, making preschool a more affordable option for many families and giving children the opportunity to be better prepared for kindergarten. Our center is NAEYC accredited and licensed by the State of Connecticut; we follow all state regulations and NAEYC criteria. Programs follow the HEPA (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity) guidelines and classroom curriculums are designed with these concepts at the forefront. We have a children's garden with 25 raised garden boxes which are planted, cared for and harvested by the children and teachers. In addition to the extensive education and professional development opportunities that our teaching staff participates in year-round, staff were able to participate in numerous remote sessions. Other programs, such as leadership development, youth sports, youth swim lessons and day camps, offer a range of activities that allow children to have fun, build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills, and make lasting friendships and memories. These programs provided $83,224 in financial assistance, affording opportunities for children that otherwise might not be available to them. YMCA Camp Greenknoll is an area leader in providing children with a safe, fun, and educational summer camp experience. In 2023, 846 children from pre-K through 8th grade spent the summer engaging in programs designed to challenge them both mentally and physically. Our camps provided $47,134 in fee assistance. Camp allowed these children to reconnect with old friends and make new ones, and gave parents the ability to work knowing their children were cared for in a safe place. Various activities were scheduled throughout the camp day. From games and sports, arts and crafts, and outdoor adventures to science and technology, activities such as these take children out of their comfort zone, push them to try new things, and foster a sense of confidence in completing difficult tasks. Our new Climbing Tower and Zip Line, plus our low ropes elements and archery are just some of the fun and exciting activities that can enrich a child's experience and help them achieve their best selves. At the Y, we've heard so many parents (and kids) say that they made friends, and actually felt that they belonged within their group, something they may not feel at school. They feel they can be themselves while trying new things, learning new skills and making new friends, all so important in building confidence and self-esteem. But most importantly, Camp Greenknoll provides opportunities to reconnect with the simple joys of being a kid: Swimming, Laughing, Singing, Dancing, Crafting, Discovering, Swinging, Sliding, Hiking, Playing and more! Through our youth leadership programs, 64 local middle school and high school students participated in a broad range of activities designed to develop their personal and leadership skills, done in an environment that fosters academic success. This year's highlights included: The Youth & Government program exposes high school students to Connecticut's legislative, legal and journalistic processes and shows them how they can play a significant leadership role in their community. Students participate in a mock government process where they practice critical reasoning, debating and public speaking skills. 20 students spent many hours preparing for the 2023 State Legislative Convention. Students met regularly throughout 2023. Achievers, a mentoring program for disadvantaged low-income students from the Greater Danbury area, is designed to produce first generation college bound teens. Using a combination of academic and career mentoring, leadership skills building curriculum, and exposure to "college life," we helped 35 students reach their full academic potential and open their eyes to their potential to succeed in college and beyond during the 2023 school year. We've also begun including middle school and college students in the program. In June of 2024, 12 Danbury High School seniors from the Achievers Program will graduate and all will go off to college. Students participated in numerous community service projects. Promoting healthy lifestyle choices to children, including proper nutrition and physical activity, is a key focus of the Y's youth programs. Access to fruits and vegetables is crucial to encouraging children to eat fruits and vegetables. We have installed 10 garden beds at our Greenknoll Branch, and more than 25 beds at our YMCA Children's Center in Bethel to teach students about proper nutrition. In Y swim lessons, participants learn and practice swimming skills and feel a sense of achievement from mastering something that they can enjoy the rest of their lives, all while learning water safety and increasing their physical activity levels. The importance of water safety, especially in a lake community such as ours, has never been greater. Most people don't know that drowning is the leading cause of accidental deaths for children ages 1-4. Here at the Regional YMCA, we are dedicated to helping everyone learn how to be safe in and around the water. In 2023, we were able to teach 2,398 sessions of swim lessons to youths in the Greater Danbury area. Our Mako Swim Team has 185 children, in multiple competitive groups. This team is about much more than just swimming. These children are learning dedication, patience, sportsmanship, and leadership. They are figuring out what it means to be part of a team and develop skills that will carry them through their adult lives. With the support of the Y, children are developing the values and skills that lead to positive behaviors, better health, and educational achievement, and parents can be assured that whatever activities their children are engaged in, they will have a safe, positive environment in which to play, learn and grow.

Healthy Living: The Y is our community's leading voice on health and well-being. We help people and families build and maintain healthy habits for spirit, mind, and body in their everyday lives. People engage in our Healthy Living activities, such as family wellness, group exercise classes, personal fitness, programs for active older adults, water activities, diabetes prevention & management, and healthy lifestyle and nutrition education. These programs aim to provide education, increase activity, raise awareness, and showcase the ability one has to take control of their life through making healthy choices. But the Y means more than exercise and healthy living programs to so many people. A huge part of being healthy and active is the social aspect. We have so many programs that connect people, offer them support and resources, it's amazing. The Y strives to be a place where people feel safe and comfortable, a friendly environment. We're connecting people through our core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. We're open to everyone in the community and our inclusive setting makes us a place where people of all walks of life can meet up and a place where new friendships form through common interest. We held our 13th Lose To Win competition in 2022 with 42 participants to help people get on track with their health while connecting with others and receiving the support and encouragement of a team. Participants lost a collective 356 pounds! We are also a participating partner with Renew Active, a program offered to active older adults through their Medicare supplement insurance which offers a basic membership and access to amenities. Over 971 seniors stayed fit and active through this program in 2023. We've expanded our nutritional and healthy living programs, taking a stand against chronic diseases such as diabetes, and giving people the tools to make better decisions regarding their health. More than 140 participants engaged in our Evidence Based Health Programs in 2023. See the following details. 1 in 3 U.S. adults has pre-diabetes; most of them don't know it. As many as 50,000 adults in our service area are at risk of developing diabetes. We've teamed with area health leaders to screen and identify residents with pre-diabetes and invite them to enroll in our Diabetes Prevention Program. Now in its eighth year, the program teaches participants about healthy eating, portion control, reading package labels and exercising - small lifestyle changes that will have lasting effects on their health. 600+ participants have either graduated from the program or are currently enrolled, getting the support they need from our specialists on staff. Enhance Fitness, a 16-week intervention for older adults, improves mobility and improves strength and flexibility to prevent falls, the leading cause of disability in our older adult population. The Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring (BPSM) Program targets individuals with high blood pressure to assist them in managing and monitoring their blood pressure confidently. The program also offers essential nutrition programs to promote dietary practices that can improve hypertension. This past year, 40 people participated in the bi-lingual program, both virtually and in-person. Our President is a member of the steering committee for the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). This group provides chronic disease prevention programs, such as the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program, to members of our community, especially high-risk and low-income seniors and Hispanic residents living in the greater Danbury area. As the area's health & fitness leader, we continued to take our health expertise and programming into the community to combat one of the region's greatest health threats: childhood obesity. All of our childcare programs are following HEPA standards (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards), serving only healthy snacks and beverages, including holiday and birthday celebrations, and screen time is kept to the minimum needed for students to complete homework assignments. All our programs have made a tremendous effort to make sure children in their care are physically active on a daily basis through play time, snow time, swimming lessons, and indoor fitness. These programs are examples of how we deliver the resources and support that empower our members to effect lasting personal change. We're here day in and day out to provide the resources needed by our community, the Greater Danbury area, to address the most pressing social issues.

Membership: The Regional YMCA is a cause-driven organization, committed to strengthening our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. We are a positive force, and everything we do is in the service of building a better community. For over 160 years, the Regional YMCA has worked to create bright futures for children and adults in the Greater Danbury area, through a multitude of means, and as a result, more than 9,500 local community members are receiving the support, guidance, and resources they need to achieve greater health in spirit, mind, and body. This is particularly important as our community faces new challenges each day, such as an obesity crisis, chronic disease, the disconnect within families, and the isolation felt by growing numbers of older adults. Our myriad of programs each helps shape different facets of people's lives, whether it is teaching children to swim and the value of water safety, encouraging teens to become leaders in the community or educating people young and old about the importance of fitness and nutrition. Our programs promote connections, support systems and friendships between members and staff, as well as building self-confidence and self-esteem. Members are encouraged and supported in becoming their best self. Because we believe everyone has the power to make their lives better, we open our doors to all - no matter who they are or where they come from. The Regional YMCA brings together people from all backgrounds and supports those who need us most. At the Regional YMCA, no child, family or adult has been turned away for an inability to pay, and financial assistance is offered to all who cannot afford membership. In 2023, we were able to provide $56,114 in financial aid, allowing people access to the community of the Regional YMCA. Membership is the heart of our Y's revenue source. We are still feeling the effects of the pandemic and are just now making headway in regaining our pre-Covid membership and program participant numbers. We ended 2022 with 70% of our pre-Covid membership number. The bright spots during the last few years have been our summer camp and swim team programs; participation at YMCA Camp Greenknoll in 2022 was at its highest ever!