News

YMCA preschools get $200,000 grant

By Cate Lecuyer
Staff writer
Published: July 7, 2008

BEVERLY — Preschool programs at the YMCA of the North Shore will get a boost this fall.

Thanks to a $206,000 grant from the Peter & Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, the YMCA will hire a specialist to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of all the programs, train teachers, and help them follow a teaching strategy called "Creative Curriculum." They'll learn to evaluate kids based on their behavior, development and cognitive skills in order to create individualized lesson plans.

"We believe we provide a good education for our children, but this is going to bring it up to the next level," said Debbie Amaral, executive director of the Salem YMCA. The YMCA of the North Shore, headquartered in Beverly, manages Y's in six North Shore communities, including Salem, Beverly, Ipswich and Marblehead.

The Salem YMCA has been using the new curriculum for about three years, and Amaral said she's seen an improvement in how focused teachers have become. They're able to evaluate their students on a one-on-one basis, help them strengthen certain areas and better prepare them to enter kindergarten, she said.

The money will also be used to work toward accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The YMCA programs in Beverly and Marblehead are both accredited, and Amaral said she hopes the programs in Salem, Ipswich and Haverhill will be next in line.

Costs for the preschool program range from about $35 to $270 a day, depending on the Y and the number of days a child is enrolled.

Amaral said the grant will help staff better prepare children to enter kindergarten.

"It's a wonderful opportunity," she said.