Hockomock Young Mens Christian Association Inc

Programs: Ymca child care - the hockomock area ymca is the largest provider of licensed, high quality child care - including before and after school care - in our 15 community service area. The focus of all hockomock area ymca early learning center programs is to support values-driven growth and development in youth and their families. Child care offerings are designed to help young people develop positive values, self-esteem, and leadership as well as enhancing school readiness. Our early learning centers provide an important contribution to the local community by offering affordable and dependable child care for working parents. While parents remain gainfully employed, they have the confidence that their children are thriving in a safe, supportive and educational environment. For parents who cannot afford the full fee, in keeping with the ymca's charitable mission, our ymca welcomes all individuals regardless of their ability to pay. In 2017, an average of over 750 children per day took part in the various hockomock area ymca licensed child care programs. These programs included child care, nursery school and before and after school programs, and were offered at 13 different locations, including on site locations at our north attleboro, franklin, mansfield and foxboro facilities and in school based locations in north attleboro, wrentham and bellingham. Confidential scholarship assistance valued at $454,417 was provided to participating children and their families enrolled in licensed child care programs in 2017. As part of our child care and after school curricula, we offer an innovative ipad educational technology/stem component that we created. This cutting edge enrichment program is designed to help address school readiness by bringing education to life and focusing on technological literacy, reading, math, and science. Children in our pre-school and school age child care program, along with summer camp participants, benefit through this innovative initiative. Last year we created a technology lab at our bernon branch.

ymca aquatics - the hockomock area ymca aquatics programs are a foundation of the ymca's overall focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We provide specific swimming and water safety skills,and aquatic programs, in addition to promoting good health through regular exercise along with teamwork, self-confidence and personal goal setting for all ages. These programs are offered at affordable fees, with financial assistance available for those who cannot afford the full fees. Aquatic programs were held at the north attleboro, franklin and foxboro branches. During 2017, 12,569 participants took part in hockomock area ymca aquatics programs including youth lessons and aquacise classes, which increase joint flexibility and help relieve arthritic pain, a welcome alternative for many older adults. Teenage participants learned valuable lifeguarding skills in ymca lifeguard classes. Cpr classes are offered by our y to potential lifeguards, staff, members and local community members. In addition, nearly 280 youth and teens participated in the ymca's swim team program. The ymca's goal of being socially responsible is evident through important collaborations with local communities including allowing the high school swim teams in foxboro, franklin and north attleboro to utilize our ymca pools for meets and practices at no charge. In addition, the ymca provided lifeguarding services at lake pearl in wrentham and at silver lake in bellingham. In 2017, the grant-funded spier family splash program provided free swim lessons for more than 98 kindergarten and first grade students enrolled in foxboro public schools with an emphasis on safety in and around the water. During the summer, the summer splash program is offered to all children in foxboro camp and 35 students took part in the splash water safety and progression program.

ymca health and wellness - ymca health and wellness programs are an important part of our focus on healthy living and are available to all ages. Our ymca's enhancement offerings include group exercise programs that stress the value of prevention through good exercise habits and health, including nutrition, stress management and health education. Many of these programs are offered at no cost to ymca members while others are made available at a fee that is affordable to the community, with financial assistance available for those who cannot afford the full fee. Since 2007, our ymca has convened community leaders and key local and regional partners in the 15 communities we serve and implemented a collective community response to the epidemic of childhood obesity. Our hockomock healthy futures initiative works to increase physical activity and improve nutrition in children ages 6 - 10 and their families through strategies focused on intervention, prevention, and sustainable change. In 2017, our healthy futures programming was offered in 14 area school systems and served 2,380 young people. Our ymca has also developed and implemented effective and innovative chronic disease programming through partnerships and collaborations with local hospitals. These programs focused on chronic disease prevention and post-diagnostic rehabilitation have recently been launched including multiple sclerosis wellness (15 participants), diabetes prevention (24 participants), exercise is medicine (22 participants), enhance fitness (94 participants), and post-cardiac rehabilitation (37 participants). Since 2010, our ymca has offered livestrong at the ymca, an innovative program designed for cancer survivors and their families, and during 2017, 93 cancer survivors and their families took part in this program which is offered at no charge. In 2015, our ymca created a new living stronger program, designed for alumni of the livestrong program. During 2017, 176 participants took part in this free grant-funded program. The ymca hosted its annual healthy kids day at gillette stadium and patriot place with nearly 2,000 participants from our local communities taking part in a variety of healthy activities and educational opportunities for families. Over 160 individuals volunteered for the event and we were joined by more than 40 community partners including businesses, health organizations, non-profits and other health focused vendors. The ymca began an innovative weight loss program called weigh-to-change in 2016. 305 participants took part in this new weight loss program focused on nutrition and exercise during 2017.

ymca youth sports - youth sports programs such as t ball, soccer, basketball, flag football, karate, dance and gymnastics focus on participation and sportsmanship with children and their families engaged. Ymca youth sports programs emphasize character development, skill development, health and fitness, safety, self-esteem and respect for others. During 2017, a total of 5,530 participants took part in various hockomock area ymca youth sports programs, many of which utilize volunteer coaches. Ymca camping - hockomock area ymca summer camping programs provide recreation, enrichment and "the best summer ever" by integrating physical well-being, social growth and a respect for the environment based on the ymca's traditional core values. Through a variety of activities and the use of natural surroundings, ymca summer camping helps participants reach their fullest potential in developing social and coping skills important in developing self-confidence and self-esteem, thereby reducing their risk of participating in risky behaviors. Ymca summer camping programs are offered at our north attleboro, franklin, foxboro and mansfield facilities and at silver lake in bellingham for youth ages 3 to 16. Besides offering traditional camp, the ymca offers a number of specialty camps for those interested in areas such as sports, arts, theatre and adventure camps for teens. In addition, the ymca provides new horizon camp for children with special needs which served 152 youth in 2017. Hockomock area ymca camping programs often serve as childcare for parents in the summer. Ymca summer camps provide safe, educational and nurturing environments with qualified staff. Camping programs are offered on a sliding scale to parents unable to afford the full fee. In 2017, there were a total of 11,194 camper weeks in various hockomock area ymca summer camping programs. Scholarships valued at $173,409 were provided to children in ymca camping programs. Ymca summer camp is approved as a qualified provider by the department of children and families and local boards of health. Ymca teen leadership - our ymca remains committed to engaging teens and young adults through leadership development, mentoring, and experiential education. Our teen leadership programs shape tomorrow's leaders by offering teens safe and dynamic environments where they learn, grow, play, and interact with caring adults and peers. During 2017, more than 270 teens took part in the various teen programs, including specialty programs such as ymca leaders and junior leaders club and the youth & government program. For 18 years, the ymca has operated the north attleboro teen center located in downtown north attleboro. This y teen center provides teens the opportunity to participate in a variety of programs, including wednesday night family mealtime, project safety zone, teen nights, adventure camping and community service projects. Operated as "the zone", the teen center provides important services to kids in north attleboro. In 2017, there were 6,480 visits to the teen center. In 2017, adventures in respect - a bullying prevention program for middle school students, was further expanded. 3,155 students from 12 area school districts participated in this bullying prevention program during 2017. Youth received education and resources and gained knowledge on how to work together to combat the epidemic of bullying and cyber bullying in their lives and schools. One of the tools used in this program is our innovative ropes course team building facilities offered at the north attleboro and franklin branches. The ymca also operates a teen center in the foxboro branch with a focus on leadership development, education and community service. There were 6,500 visits to the marilyn rodman teen center during 2017. Ymca family programs - these programs, which include enrichment programming, help people grow as responsible members of families and the community. They provide children and their parents with activities that foster understanding and companionship. Activities are planned to bring groups of families together to support each other and their children. Parents have the opportunity to learn from each other and from their children in an enjoyable way. A variety of parent-child programs are offered. Free family nights are offered bi-monthly and parenting seminars were offered during 2017. In 2017, 1,087 participants took part in structured ymca family programs. The hockomock area ymca is proud of the continued growth of our innovative integration initiative. This program is designed to provide opportunities for children with special needs to participate in ymca programs and activities, with their typically developing peers. The integration initiative began in 2004 and has been expanded into all y program areas. The program is currently offered in our north attleboro, franklin and foxboro branches. In 2017, 426 participants were enrolled in the program and since its inception 1,030 children and their families have participated in the ymca's integration initiative, with impact measurements showing that participating children experience an increase in independence and physical activity while improving their socialization skills and self-esteem. Our new horizon summer camp program served 152 children with disabilities last summer. In october, we celebrated our 8th annual legends golf classic and in november, we celebrated our 12th annual legends ball, both of which raised funds to support the integration initiative. Our ymca seeks to foster a culture of lifelong learning and appreciation for the arts where individuals and families spark creative thinking, develop artistic skills and awaken curiosity. Through our mansfield arts & education center, our ymca is able to deliver programming, through the arts, that strives to improve academic performance, increase children's developmental assets and help teens learn key workforce skills. In 2017, our 11th year, there were 11 theater performances by 319 children in the arts program. In the past 11 years, there have been 67 theater performances. As part of our ymca's commitment to child protection, we partnered with darkness to light to continue a research based child sexual abuse educational prevention program offered in 7 area communities in 2017. To date, we have trained 4,951 adults as "stewards of children", educating and creating awareness of the prevalence, consequences and circumstances of child sexual abuse and how to react responsibly. The ymca has formed a child protection committee. The hockomock area ymca through community partnerships and collaborations, is working to meet the changing needs of the 15 communities we serve through a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, working together with stakeholders throughout our service area to improve the quality of life for thousands of children and their families.