Child Care

The COVID-19 pandemic forced dramatic changes in our children’s lives, disrupting their education, care, and opportunities to develop into tomorrow’s leaders. As school schedules changed and family needs for child care evolved, the YMCA of Central Ohio kept pace to ensure that every child had a safe and nurturing place to belong.

Our first response was partnering with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to provide Pandemic Child Care for families serving on the front lines of the crisis. Soon after, we hosted Learning Extension Centers (LECs) at 4 locations to support students whose home environment proved to be a barrier to successful learning. LECs were able to provide equipment and internet access, tutoring, and additional enrichment like sports, art, and meals. As schools began to reopen, we stayed in close contact with the districts we serve to adapt partial and full child care options to best meet the needs of local families.

While care options that are fundamentally tied to school schedules adapted, other YMCA programs were resolute in their service to early learners and families in need. For example, the YMCA’s at-home preschool program through our Early Childhood Resource Network+, as well as an innovative two-generation program for family stability in partnership with the Siemer Institute for Family Stability were able to continue serving clients remotely without sacrificing effectiveness or reducing our capacity.

Youth Development Programs

Our programs empower young people, improve health and well-being, as well as provide support and inspire action in our communities. Throughout the pandemic, we saw the rise of challenges affecting our youth’s mental health as they were separated from their peers, safe adults and routine activities. Our staff constructed virtual programs or new ways to deliver in-person programming to keep youth connected and meet the needs for physical and psychosocial safety.

Summer at the Y

Summer at the Y fostered a sense of belonging, offered lessons to reduce learning loss, facilitated outdoor activity to help strengthen bodies, while daily STEAM activities kept minds sharp throughout the summer.

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)

Through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the YMCA offers deep support for children in the Columbus City School district that have been exposed to crime. This summer, our VOCA staff led the Teen Camp at the Eldon and Elsie Ward Family YMCA and facilitated the Learning Extension Center at our Van Buren Center. In addition to the usual activities, they included specialized social-emotional counseling to help teens find a new normal after exposure to crime.

Virtual Achievers

The summer-long YMCA Virtual Achiever program was a brand new take on a program previously called Teen Leaders Club. In the wake of COVID-19 school closures and limited summer activities, teens needed a way to connect with their peers more than ever. Achievers offered just that while teaching critical skills to help them become the changemakers our community demands.