YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South

"Everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive" — the Y's promise is a working family's best friend.

The YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South is one of the region's quiet pieces of working-family infrastructure. Before & after school care that covers the hours between the dismissal bell and the end of a shift. Child Development Centers for families juggling work and little ones. Summer camps that keep kids safe, fed, and growing while parents work. Swim lessons in a river city where water safety is a life-and-death equity issue. And the promise at the center of it all: the Y works to serve everyone — regardless of age, income or background — so ask any branch about membership and program financial assistance. The Y is also hiring across its branches, from youth workers to lifeguards to childcare staff.

What The Y Does

Before & After School Care

The gap between the dismissal bell and the end of a shift is where working parents get squeezed. Y before & after school programs cover it with homework help, activity, and adults kids trust.

Child Development Centers

Full early-childhood care and learning for families juggling jobs and little ones — the difference between a parent who can take the job and one who can't.

Summer at the Y

Camps and summer programs that keep kids safe, active, and learning through the longest childcare gap of the year — while parents keep working.

Swim Lessons & Water Safety

In a river city, swimming is a survival skill — and drowning rates hit Black children hardest. The Y is Memphis's main access point for affordable lessons at every age.

Financial Assistance

The Y's stated promise is access for everyone regardless of income — ask any branch about membership and program assistance before you assume you can't afford it.

The Y Is Hiring

Youth development, lifeguards, childcare, member services — real first jobs and second-act jobs across the branches. Apply through ymcamemphis.org.

Why the Y Sits in Everyday Tools

Ask any working parent what breaks a workweek and childcare is the first answer. The Y's mission — 'We put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all' — turns into the most practical kind of solidarity: someone trustworthy watching your kids from 3 to 6, a summer that doesn't force a resignation, a pool where your child learns the stroke that could save their life. That's why the Y sits beside United Way, 2-1-1, and Driving The Dream in this app's Everyday Tools — it's part of the infrastructure that lets working families work.

A Community Partner of Labor Education

Labor Education features the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South as a community partner. Union families: check your branch for before & after school care, summer programs, and swim lessons — and ask about financial assistance, because the Y means it when they say 'for all.' Job hunters: the Y hires year-round across its branches.

Connect with YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South

Want to get involved, partner, or learn more? Reach out through their website.