YWCA to Celebrate History, Introduce New Program at Tonight's Open House

The YWCA Hartford Region has been an integral part of Manchester’s landscape for nearly 90 years, providing services to the community since 1924. This fall, it will begin a new chapter in town when it opens a Teens as Successful Parents (TSP) program, which will provide support for high school girls with children.

Tonight  the group will celebrate its history and its future in Manchester with an open house from 5:30– 7:30 p.m. at the Community Y Building at 78 N. Main St., which was the home of YWCA's Creative Nursery School for the last 60 years.

The start of the new TSP program comes on the heels of the recent closing of two YWCA institutions in Manchester. Manchester Creative Nursery School closed on June 17 after 60 years, and YW Kidslink, a before-and after-school care program in five elementary schools, closed June 24 after nearly 30 years in operation.

According to Kristy Lee Downer, Marketing Manager for YWCA Hartford Region, the Nursery School, which was for kids ages 3-5, closed because it wasn’t “economically viable” after experiencing dwindling attendance in recent years.

The Kidslink program shut down because Manchester decided to go with a single provider for before-and after-school childcare starting this fall.

“While we are disappointed that the nursery school and YW Kidslink programs are closing, we are excited about the opportunity to support the Manchester community with TSP,” said Deb Ullman, CEO of YWCA Hartford Region. “This program will help to break the cycle of poverty that is often associated with teen pregnancy. We will continue to look for opportunities to provide services in Manchester that promote economic empowerment and family economic security.”

Tonight’s open house, which will have at least 50 people in attendance, according to Downer, will celebrate YWCA’s presence in Manchester – past, present and future.

“We’re going to be celebrating our history in Manchester; not only the closing programs, but all of the great things we’ve done,” said Downer.

Downer said she has put together a slide show for the open house that features historical photos, some dating back to the 1950s, as well as more recent pictures. “We are hoping to have some of those photos on display as well,” she said.

The open house will also serve as sort of a launching pad for the new TSP program. “We are announcing the new TSP program, so it’s kind of like celebrating the history and the future,” explained Downer.

The YWCA realized there was a need for a program like TSP in Manchester after a report from the state's Department of Public Health found there were about 20 high school girls in town in 2008 who were parents.

“It’s been a growing problem in a lot of towns so we found a need for that in Manchester and that’s how we figured we could help the community,” she said.

The new program will operate at the Center Congregational Church on 11 Center St. in collaboration with Manchester High School. “It’s going to be pretty much in full operation in the fall because it coordinates with the school system,” said Downer.

YWCA has 16 slots for the program and will begin accepting participants on July 11. Participants will receive case management services that will support them in meeting basic needs; referrals to community providers; and help meeting the demanding requirements of completing high school, according to the YWCA.

The case manager will stay connected with school administrators to ensure that participants are on track for graduation and prepared for post-secondary education (including planning and admissions). In addition, the participants will receive support with developing goals for the future through workshops designed for them to gain important skills in the areas of career planning, financial capability and personal growth, according to the YWCA.

“They do not have to put their goals and dreams on hold; they can continue high school, go to college and also become better parents,” said Downer. “It’s tough enough to be a parent at any age, nevermind being a young parent.”

Despite the recent closing of the two programs in Manchester, YWCA does have childcare programs in seven other towns in the Hartford region and those programs “are very strong right now,” said Downer.

For decades, the heart of the YWCA’s Manchester programs has been the Community Y Building on North Main St. Once referred to as the Nutmeg Branch of YWCA, many recreational programs have been held in the building, ranging from dance, gardening, and craft classes to a Newcomers Club that helped women connect with the Manchester community.

With the closing of the two programs, the YWCA will not be operating any programs in the Community Y Building, but the group could return to the historic location in the future.

“We’re still working with Manchester and hopefully in the future we’ll open some new, different kinds of programs,” said Downer.

Those interested in attending this evening’s open house are asked to please RSVP to kristyleed@ywcahartford.org or call (860) 525-1163, ext. 292. For more information on YWCA Hartford Region, please visit www.ywcahartford.org.