About Your YMCA

    This YMCA is an effective change agent because our mission, facilities and programs allow us to mold our services to fill the needs of each individual community.  When the Arthur M. Blank Family Youth YMCA first opened its doors in 1998, the community’s residents desperately needed basic human services.  Local residents transitioning from public assistance to self-sufficiency needed to learn everything from navigating the greater Atlanta bus schedule to searching for and acquiring employment and finding a safe place where their children could be cared for while they worked.  Fortunately, the YMCA assisted them by offering various  training programs and basic child care.  The Arthur M. Blank Family Youth YMCA Welfare-to-Work initiative generated over $4.7 million in salaries earned from program graduates.

Because of these successful adult training programs and related services offered by the Arthur M. Blank Family Youth YMCA, local residents transformed their area into a more vibrant community.  Area adults are more savvy and no longer need the same assistance in finding and securing jobs they did just 10 years ago.  Instead, needs shifted to the younger population and the various challenges facing children.  There was a need for a “safe place” for kids that provides programs tailored specifically toward giving them the life skills necessary to navigate a more sophisticated and ever changing world. Kids need programs that provide academic enrichment as well as programs where they get exercise and truly learn how to care for their bodies for life. They needed an early childhood development center.

Our Response

    In 2008-2009 Arthur M. Blank Family Youth YMCA renovated the interior space to expand indoor programming for a child development center, with an emphasis on preschool, after school, day camp and youth wellness services.  The plan provided a better use of existing space and maximized its usage throughout the entire day by providing the venues necessary to offer activities that are enjoyed by children.  Enhancements and renovations include:

❖       Expanding pre-school classroom space

❖       Increasing & renovating the size of the current technology center

❖       Adding a game room and student lounge

❖       Adding health and juice bar for children

    Today, the Arthur M. Blank Family Youth YMCA Better Beginnings Childhood Development Center serves over 1,000 children daily between the ages of 15 months - 12 years old, is a strategic partner with Atlanta Public Schools, and is recognized as a leader in addressing the issues of youth obesity & wellness and it’s link to brain development and academic improvement.

Our Philosophy

   The symbol of the YMCA is an inverted equilateral triangle, expressing the symmetrical development of the whole child: the spirit, mind, and body.  Today, the triangle not only represents the development of the child, but also the development of strong families and strong communities.  Our philosophy is not to provide services, but to produce quality experiences and measurable results while instilling the YMCA core values of honesty, caring, respect, and responsibility as we build, strong kids, strong families, and strong communities.

"All YMCA's should take notes on this one.  It truly represents the next generation of YMCAs, where today's and future markets are being attracted by image as well as function."  - Curtis Moody