Youth Development

As parents prepare to send kids back to school this month and consider their afterschool options, the Y continues to be a safe, supportive, and fun place for children. Data from the 2022-2023 school year shows that Ys supported 85% of young people in character development growth at YMCA afterschool programs.

August is National Back to School Month, so it’s time to prepare to make sure your back-to-school season is a success! Enroll in Before- and/or Afterschool Programming Today

It’s Summer Learning Week! Join the Y in celebrating – here are five ways you can keep your family learning all summer long.  Fostering Friendships

Newsweek announced America’s Best Summer Camps for 2023; five NC YMCA residential camps were recognized among the 500 named. 

In 2022, NC YMCAs provided swim lessons to more than 20,000 kids and provided the Y's Safety Around Water program to more than 10,000 children. That's because we're serious about valuable, lifelong water safety and swimming skills. In honor of Water Safety Month, the Y is offering tips for parents to keep kids safe in and around water this summer.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the YMCAs is encouraging community members to care for themselves and others. 

Ebony Burnett, senior association youth development director at YMCA of Greensboro, is one of 10 out of school time (OST) professionals–and the only YMCA representative–participating in the 2023 Achievery Learning Cohort, a project of the National Afterschool Association (NAA) with support from AT&T. 

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of our commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re participating in the Five Days of Action - a week-long campaign to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it.

The development of children is the core of which the Y’s values were built. This is why the safety of all children in our care is our number one priority. Staff and volunteers at North Carolina's YMCAs follow a Code of Conduct to ensure the safety of all children who come through our doors, whether they’re regular program participants or only visit once a year.