When the calendar clicked to September, and the long Labor Day weekend wrapped up, the beginning the school year dawned for parents and children across our region.  Whether you’re a parent with school-aged kids like me, or are free of the stresses and joys of the new school year, as a recipient of this email you are likely fully aware that the new school year is a big deal here at the Y!

With the Y’s prominent legacy in health and wellness, many people outside our orbit don’t recognize that the Y is the leader in Central Maryland in youth development, with a wide-ranging footprint in Preschool, Head Start and school-aged services and programs including Community Schools and Before & After School Enrichment, partnering with all of the region’s school systems and delivered in over 100 locations (in both schools and free-standing Y sites), serving over 14,000 students throughout the region!

Of course, preparations for the start of the new school year began well before the heat of summer broke, as the over 700 Y Youth Development associates from across the region came together in late August for several days of training across various sites, including our newly opened Y Training Center located on Caton Avenue in southwest Baltimore.  There, youth development associates prepared to once again welcome, educate and enrich the thousands of students we serve through a wide range of  training sessions including CPR, Building Classroom Communities, Creating an Engaging Environment for Children, Families and Associates, and a whole lot more!

Thanks to all of our Youth Development leaders for the hard and thoughtful work that went into preparing and delivering the training, and a big thanks as well to all of those who participated and who are now in classrooms supporting the development of young people across Central Maryland. You all are doing vitally important work, and have my highest respect and admiration. Your passion and commitment is palpable and our community is not just enriched, but much stronger and better for it. Those 14,000 kids and their families are lucky to have you on their side, and so are we!

All the best,

John

John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland