Berkeley Heights, NJ – February 16, 2024 – Parents seeking exceptional early childhood education and afterschool care are in luck: the Berkeley Heights YMCA Learning Lane and its counterpart, Beyond the Bell, hosts an open house on Thursday, February 29, and Saturday, March 2.
The Berkeley Heights YMCA Learning Lane, which welcomes children in preschool through Kindergarten, has undergone a number of transformations over the past few years. The nationally renowned Creative Curriculum, emphasizing the importance of hands-on learning and discovery, is now embedded into the program itself. Each day, students engage in a variety of enriching STEAM and language arts activities that set them up for academic success. To take this even further, the learning doesn’t stop there.
“As part of the larger Summit Area YMCA, we’re focused on each child’s overall well-being,” said Associate Executive Director Kelly McHugh. “That includes teaching our students the importance of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, helping them learn skills that build their confidence and independence, and ensuring that they flourish socially and emotionally.”
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Parents will find a host of other benefits that make the Berkeley Heights YMCA Learning Lane a special place. The teachers and caregivers introduce kids to healthy fun through weekly trips to the gymnasium, swim time at the Summit YMCA indoor pools, and nutritious daily snacks. These added features start their students on a path to a lifetime of healthy living.
“In addition to teaching our children about health and wellness, we want them to learn about their relationship to the community at large,” said Diana Burneo Fernandez, the center’s director. “Each month, we bring the children on field trips around our local area. From farms to the police department, fire station and library, our students see firsthand that we are all part of one larger world and why it’s so important that we help one another.”
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These foundational lessons in health, wellness, and social responsibility can also be found in the Berkeley Heights YMCA afterschool program for school-age children, Beyond the Bell, which can also be explored during the upcoming open house.
For more information, please visit www.thesay.org/news or contact Diana Burneo Fernandez at diana.burneo-fernandez@thesay.org or 908-464-8373 Ext. 2042.
About the Summit Area YMCA
In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values and is made stronger by its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring, and respect — are integral to everyday operations.
Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 17,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling, and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure everyone can learn, grow, and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.
