Children are like sponges – they watch and absorb knowledge, skills and values from everything and everyone around them. At the Y, we believe the values and skills learned early on are vital building blocks for quality of life and future success.

This program was developed to provide parents and preschool aged children (who are not already in a formal program) a nurturing and respectful environment where they engage in weekly activities designed to enhance verbal and social development and encourage parental involvement in the learning process.

Too many children arrive at kindergarten without the skills they need, and by third grade are performing below their grade level. Research shows that 75% of third graders who struggle with reading never catch up and are 4 times for likely to drop out of high school.
With programs like the Y’s Play and Learn, we can help equip children to be school ready and provide a safe environment to learn life skills.

This program is currently offered at our Northwest YMCA.