As Schools Prepare to Reopen Part-Time, YMCA Launches New In-Person Childcare Program for Working Families

AT&T & Subsidiary WarnerMedia Contribute $500,000 to YMCA of Greater New York to Help Fund In-Person Remote Learning Supervision & Support for Hundreds of Families in Highest Need Areas of New York City 

With schools reopening part-time, money will be used to provide urgently-needed out of school time care on remote learning days to allow parents to return to work

AT&T* and WarnerMedia** today announced a $500,000 donation to the YMCA of Greater New York to help create an in-person childcare program for families in the highest need areas of New York City. With schools set to reopen part-time, many parents who do not have the option of working from home will be left without affordable childcare options for days when their children learn remotely. With this donation, AT&T and WarnerMedia are aiming to fill this urgent gap for families in need, helping parents return to work and begin to recover from the economic challenges of the pandemic, knowing their children are safe and learning in their absence.

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 AM-3 PM, 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. 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,” said Patricia Jacobs, President, Northern Region, AT&T. “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, SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility, 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 .”

“We are thrilled to provide childcare for hundreds of families across New York City, and grateful to AT&T for supporting this critical program,” said Sharon Greenberger, President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York. “The YMCA empowers tens of thousands of kids and families every year through childcare, afterschool, summer camp programs, and more. We have continued these services during the pandemic and are proud to help our city recover by serving families in need.”

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 – including the YMCA, Win (the largest provider of shelter to women and children in New York City), and DreamYard Project in the Bronx – all aim to provide STEM education to students who would not otherwise have access, including low-income students, students of color, homeless students, and students in foster care.  

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 tens of 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.

This initiative is part of AT&T’s employee-led AT&T Believes^SM/Believe New York^SM program, which harnesses AT&T’s employees’ generosity, supports it with company resources and joins with collaborators to make an even bigger impact on local communities and society at large. This is part of a broader $10 million effort by AT&T to address social inequality through support for education and career readiness programs for underserved people and cultivating Black technology development and entrepreneurship at historically black colleges and universities. 

 

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