YWCA Metropolitan Chicago

Child Care Provider Training & Assistance:
The YWCA supports new and existing home-based and center- based child care providers through:
• A Variety of Professional Development trainings
• Financial Assistance for training, licensing and improvements to child care settings
• A Child Care Nurse Consulting program offering referrals to health resources and help to parents and child care providers with child care, health and safety questions
• Infant Toddler Specialist curriculum consultation with site evaluations, information and resources for meeting state guidelines
• Start-up Technical Assistance: Encouraging and supporting individuals interested in starting a family or center child care business by offering information, training, and assistance.
Resources and Community Outreach:
The YWCA works to establish connections with other early childhood professionals and organizations to keep current on issues relating to families with young children. The programs inform the public and legislators about early childhood issues in order to impact the quality of early education and care in Illinois.
Child Care Assistance Program: The YWCA administers the Illinois Department of Human Services Child Care Assistance Program to help income-eligible families receive subsidies to help pay for child care while they work or go to school.

Career Services:
The YWCA provides personalized coaching and new skills training for those looking to advance in their careers or get a fresh start in a new industry. Through a combination of workshops, trainings, mentorship and self-directed learning, the YWCA helps prepare adults to compete in a 21st century workforce.
Financial Management Services:
With trained financial services professionals, the YWCA offers educational services covering topics like budgeting, credit repair, home buying and investing to help individuals begin their journey toward financial security.
Business & Entrepreneurship Services:
The YWCA is proud to help entrepreneurs take their small businesses to the next level through training and workshops, personalized coaching, networking opportunities and marketing through the YWCA’s e-commerce website YShop (yshop.org). YWCA received designation as a Small Business Development Center in 2018.
Technology Access & Training:
YWCA Innovation & Technology Institutes (ITI) help bridge the digital divide by offering fully- equipped computer technology labs where visitors can access one-on-one and group training opportunities in hardware and software basics, internet navigation, email communication, website design and Microsoft
certification.

Young Parents Program:
Promoting healthy attachment and positive relationships between teen parents and their children, the YWCA’s Young Parents Program delivers home visiting and peer group services. Parents receive guidance regarding age appropriate learning activities, discipline techniques, and nutrition to promote positive cognitive, emotional, physical, language, and social development in their children. The program also supports young mothers by providing peer support
through discussion and outreach activities, and exposure to educational and career opportunities that are beneficial in creating long term personal and financial empowerment.
TechGYRLSTM:
Meeting 40+ weeks per year, YWCA’s TechGYRLS is a
youth empowerment program designed to raise girls’ interest, confidence and self-efficacy in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). The TechGYRLS program helps young girls prepare themselves with technological tools, critical thinking and problem-solving skills for any profession they pursue. The program offers students a safe, supportive, girls- only environment for exploration and learning using curriculum comprised of design, animation, programming and robotics.
3D (Developing DigitalDiversity) YouthTM:
YWCA’s 3D (Developing Digital Diversity) Youth is a youth enrichment program designed to create opportunities for boys and girls to develop skills and knowledge to compete for jobs within a 21st Century workforce. 3D Youth provides STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics)-based educational opportunities and promotes team building, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to advance participants’ social and academic success and leadership potential.
Project HELP: offers parents and families home-based mentoring and parent education training design to empower parents and create a nurturing environment, thereby enhancing the opportunity for children to reach their full potential.

TummyTM (Child & Adult Care Food Program):
Through nutrition training and monitoring, the YWCA’s Tummy program (Formally called the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)) provides technical support, supervision and monetary reimbursement to assist home-based child care providers in purchasing, preparing and serving healthy meals and snacks daily to all children, ages 0 to 12 years of age participating in their programs.
TummyTM (Child & Adult Care Food Program):
Through nutrition training and monitoring, the YWCA’s Tummy program (Formally called the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)) provides technical support, supervision and monetary reimbursement to assist home-based child care providers in purchasing, preparing and serving healthy meals and snacks daily to all children, ages 0 to 12 years of age participating in thMyrtle’s ClubTM:
Myrtle’s Club is a Child Care Provider Network offering training and resources for family and center-based child care businesses. Myrtle’s Club provides training designed to enhance curriculum, meet licensing requirements, strengthen the business and effectively manage finances. Benefitting from bulk purchasing, members have access to discounts on commonly purchased items through centralized purchasing arrangements. Available at ycachicago.org/myrtlesclub

Early Head Start helps young children in low income households, from birth to 3 years old and their families prepare to succeed in school through local programs. These programs promote children’s development through services that support early learning, health, and family well-being. Our programs serve families in Aurora, Addison, Melrose Park, and Markham.
Early Head Start offers year-round full and half day programs. Classrooms are designed with low teacher-child ratios designed to equip children for school readiness. Parents with children enrolled are offered GED, ESL services and computer training classes.

Women’s Health Exchange Recognizing that women make over 80% of health-related decisions for themselves
and their families, the YWCA offers interactive workshops providing targeted education on a variety of topics addressing
not only physical health but also emotional, social and economic wellness. In addition, we offer a website (womenshealthexchange. org) focused specifically on women’s wellness which contains valuable content and resources to assist women in making smart decisions on issues ranging from disease risk factors to nutrition to stress management to obtaining health insurance and budgeting for health care costs.