ACD and YMCA Launch Partnership

Today, the Alamo Colleges District and YMCA of Greater San Antonio announced the start of a strategic partnership to help close the gap between achieving a higher education and removing barriers to childcare access faced by student parents and working families.

While new YMCA on-campus day camp options have begun this summer across the Alamo Colleges, the two institutions continue exploring opportunities for partnership expansion.

Across the Alamo Colleges, approximately one out of every five students are student parents, and affordable access to childcare can be a significant barrier.

“We are proud to begin this partnership with the YMCA to enhance the support we offer our student parents who may be balancing a family and pursuing their educational and career goals,” said Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor. “We know this partnership may make all the difference for students, and we are looking forward to seeing how we can scale these efforts across the Alamo Colleges.”

For families with young children, access to affordable, high-quality early care has economic and social benefits for children and their families, their communities, and the overall economy.

Desaree Machuca, a Y summer day camp parent, said the partnership has helped her family. Machuca is a mother of six children, and the Y has become a big part of their lives that whenever her children see someone in a YMCA T-shirt or name tag, they go up to them for a greeting or for a fist bump.

“They innately assume that YMCA people are their people. And I love that. It’s priceless to trust that my kids are safe and having fun while I am working. Knowing where they are and what they’re doing is a huge relief and doing things they enjoy. Thank you to the Alamo Colleges leadership team and the YMCA for providing my kids a fun and safe place this summer,” said Machuca.

“The YMCA is dedicated to supporting families and removing barriers to education. Together with Alamo Colleges District, the YMCA is providing quality childcare options on campus. We are empowering student parents to pursue their educational and career goals confidently,” said Louis Lopez, CEO and President at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Northeast Lakeview College and Northwest Vista College students, faculty, and staff have a unique opportunity to enroll their children in YMCA Summer Day Camp for the first time this summer, while St. Philip's College is offering YMCA Summer Swim.

Y Summer Day Camp is designed with the needs of busy parents in mind and is open to youth ages 5-13. The program runs weekly, from the early hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., through August 2. Field trips include visits to the Witte Museum, movie theater, and more.

The Y Summer Day Camp will be closed on July 4 and 5. Non-YMCA members pay $175 weekly, but YMCA members receive a 10% discount.

For more information, visit ymcasatx.org/programs/camps/summer-day-camps or contact the Y Solution Center at (210) 924-2277 or registrations@ymcasatx.org. Registration is open and ongoing at the Northeast Lakeview College campus.

Join the waitlist for Northwest Vista College summer day camp at alamo.edu/nvc/experience-nvc/campus-life/summer-programs/

To register for St. Philip's College swim classes, visit https://www.alamo.edu/spc/experience-spc/campus-life/youth-programs/Kids-academy/#ymca