A new survey by the YMCA of its Early Learning Readiness Program reveals “impressive” school readiness results for participating preschoolers, the organization announced on Tuesday. The Y’s program, which launched two years ago and recently expanded to now more than 40 locations, serves children up to 5 years old, particularly from low-income communities. Early Learning Readiness offers preschoolers physical, emotional, and cognitive experiences—and aims to build skills in the children's caregivers as well—through bi-weekly meetings at local Ys, community centers, libraries, schools, and places of worship. According to the Y’s survey of participating caregivers at its 20 pilot program sites:

•      91 percent report that the children in their care play with other children more positively.
•     85 percent report an increase in self-confidence in the children in their care.
•     91 percent report an increase in the child’s ability to follow instructions.
•     90 percent report an increase in the child being willing to try new things.
•     78 percent report  that the children in their care know more of their ABCs
•     82 percent report that the children know their numbers.

"These positive and encouraging results are an important step toward reaching our goal to have the Early Learning Readiness Program serve as a national model for success,” says Barbara Roth, spokesperson and the national director for youth and family at YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for the 2,700 Ys across the country.