Promoting Healthy Development and School Readiness 

The Y is an experienced community provider of quality early care and education programs. More than 40% of Ys provide early childhood programs for children five years old and younger in over one thousand early learning centers across the nation. By providing families with quality, year-round care for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, the Y supports working families and helps prepare young children for kindergarten. Early childhood education is a resource for the whole family; young children and their families need to learn and grow together, and participation in YMCA programs achieves this. The Y provides quality experiences for young children and supports parents as their children’s first teachers. 

Investment in early childhood education results in a positive rate of return—research indicates that for each dollar spent on quality early learning, there is a long-term savings of $13 based on increased tax revenue, crime savings, education savings and welfare savings. The Y believes that building strong foundations during the early years helps prepare children for academic and lifelong success. 

• Support strong foundations for young children by expanding funding for Head Start. Head Start prepares young children for school and life by providing a comprehensive set of services to families including education, nutrition, health care and more to enhance child well-being. Head Start programs also support parent involvement to strengthen families as the primary nurturers of their children. Together, comprehensive services and parental engagement ensure the cognitive, social and emotional development of young children and prepares them for future success. There are more than 185 YMCA Head Start program sites serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers (and their families) through Head Start or Early Head Start services. 

• Support affordable child care for working families by increasing funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). CCDBG supports economically disadvantaged families by increasing the availability, affordability and quality of child care. More than half (55%) of CCDBG funding enables families to secure early childhood opportunities, providing parents the comfort of knowing their children are in safe, healthy environments that support their growth and development while they work or pursue training opportunities. Recent increases in CCDBG funding are working to improve families’ access to affordable, quality care and to support states and providers in implementing the new federal requirements that resulted from the 2015 reauthorization of this law.  

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