With schools reopening next week, AT&T and WarnerMedia recently announced a $500,000 donation to the YMCA of Greater New York to help create an in-person childcare program for financially struggling families.
This includes the only YMCA in the Bronx located at 2 Castle Hill Ave.
The program will be offered to hundreds of families for the entire school year at YMCA locations across New York City. Funding from AT&T and WarnerMedia will allow the YMCA to support and supervise students during school day remote learning from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m, as well as to provide a much-needed reprieve from screens with in-person, project-based learning and physical games and activities.
“The pandemic has created a tremendous amount of uncertainty around the upcoming school year, presenting the greatest challenges for parents who do not have the option of working from home,” said Norther Region President for AT&T Patricia Jacobs. “Together, AT&T and WarnerMedia are honored to support the YMCA so they can provide urgently-needed school day remote learning supervision and support for hundreds of families across New York City. We hope our donation encourages others to invest in childcare solutions for even more families during this time of crisis.”
The YMCA is working closely with New York City school leadership to ensure that they are reaching neighborhoods with the greatest need for free, school age care. The program will also place students in pod-learning groups so the YMCA can support contact tracing, if needed.
“It’s our honor to support the YMCA and this worthy program, alongside AT&T,” said Dennis Williams, senior vice president of WarnerMedia. “Our investment reflects our commitment to our employees, our audiences and the communities they live in as this pandemic continues to impact the essential needs of families in New York City and around the country.”
This summer, AT&T contributed $450,000 to support virtual STEM immersion programs for students across the five boroughs. The organizations receiving support from AT&T, include the YMCA, Win (the largest provider of shelter to women and children in New York City) and DreamYard Project in the Bronx, which all aim to provide STEM education to students who would not otherwise have access.
Included in the $450,000 contribution was $100,000 to the YMCA through AT&T’s Distance Learning and Family Connections Fund to support remote services through the YMCA’s new online content platform YMCA @ Home, which reaches thousands of New York families with online fitness programming, family engagement and academic enrichment activities. The contribution also supports programs for graduating high school students, to see that they graduate on time and matriculate in the fall, as well as online ESL classes and workshops to help New Americans navigate this challenging time.
