Youth Programs

From age six months on, kids need to be cared for when their parents are busy elsewhere. They need to grow. They need to move around and laugh and learn and play. They need to learn specific things like freestyle swimming and safe diving; they need to know general life things like caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. They want to expand their artistic and athletic possibilities. Sometimes, they just need a place to hang out and be safe and relax with friends. This is true of preschoolers and of teens.

For decades our Y has been successfully serving children and youth and this experience and continued dedication to their development is what guides our program development.

At the Y, a six-month-old can learn to not be afraid of the swimming pool, the young child can learn proper stroke technique and the older kid or teen can compete statewide on the swim team. School-age kids can learn to dribble and shoot a basketball, kick a soccer ball and run, throw a ball and catch it in the net of a lacrosse stick; and they can compete on leagues. Y kids study Tae Kwon Do and gymnastics. They learn proper weight lifting techniques that will help them in any athletic activity they choose. They challenge themselves on the rock wall—and succeed—and they perform in musical groups. Teens do all this, plus they can learn work-related skills such as camp counselor training and Red Cross lifeguard certification.

It’s truly amazing how these kids can grow.

So click to the left for descriptions of our many programs just for youth.