The new education center is located within the YWCA Women’s Live and Learn Center. (Parks Kugle/Community Impact)
On March 25, YWCA San Antonio hosted a ribbon-cutting and grand-opening ceremony for the Harvey E. Najim Early Childhood Education Center at its Women’s Live and Learn Center.
The overview
The new education center is located within the YWCA’s residential campus and will provide early childhood education and child care. Designed to educate children during critical developmental years while empowering families to move forward, the center supports young mothers as they pursue education, workforce training and long-term economic stability, according to a news release.
“For me, supporting children has been at the heart of the work that I care about for the last 20 years most, because when we talk about helping children, we talk about helping their future children,” said Harvey Najim, founder and chairman of the Harvey E. Najim Foundation.
The center was created by a team of predominantly women designers and architects, and was built using trauma-informed design that cultivates a space of healing and stability. The new center was made possible by donations from Harvey E. Najim and many other donors.
What they’re saying
Multiple speakers praised the new childcare center, citing the need for early education to create a healthy child and a strong family.
“Access to high-quality, affordable childcare in your community is the difference for a woman between just surviving and thriving,” Haley Ellison, chair of the board of directors, said.
During his remarks, Judge Sakai said early childhood education is part of an essential community infrastructure. (Parks Kugle/Community Impact)
“This project represents something very important for our community, because child care is not a family issue; it is an essential infrastructure,” Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said.
The background
The YWCA Women’s Live and Learn Center serves young women ages 18-25, including those at risk of homelessness and domestic violence, and women who have aged out of foster care.
Additionally, the center will support residents earning at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, or 30% of the area median income.
At the center, women will have access to various services, including workforce training, mental health counseling, early childhood care and financial literacy education.
“Today is about setting the foundation for quality early childhood education, because it's one's early childhood that marks a person's life,” said Rebeca Clay-Flores, Bexar County precinct 1 commissioner.
