Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty visits the Regional YMCA Children's Center

Written by Courtney Lewis

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty came to visit the Regional YMCA Children’s Center on Wednesday, August 26. Esty toured the center, visited our classrooms, and spent time reading and playing with our preschool students.

Regional YMCA faculty and teachers told her about our School Readiness efforts and our before/after/summer school programming. Together, they discussed the need for kindergarten preparedness, our efforts to close the education achievement gap, and the challenges that many of our low-income families face that in turn impact students’ academic performance.

The visit came about after Jen Pane, our director, and Julie Pryor-Bennett, VP of Advancement met with Representative Esty at a Chamber of Commerce event. As a longtime supporter of the YMCA (her father served on the national board), she was happy to find time in her schedule for us. The staff of the Regional YMCA were joined by Eileen Costello of Education Connection and John Cattelan of the Connecticut YMCA Alliance.

Photo: Connecticut Democratic Party via Facebook