A New Classroom Building for Nature Center Preschool!

The South Shore YMCA is excited to inform our SSYMCA Natural Science Center community of our upcoming plans to improve the Science Center property and advance our Nature Center Preschool, Nature Adventures Camp, and community programming.  This capital investment is part of the Y “Leave Your Mark” Capital Fundraising Campaign, which raised over 10 million dollars to fund improvement and expansion projects across multiple South Shore Y locations.

This project includes the construction of a new 4-classroom Nature Center Preschool building, located across the parking lot from the existing building on the side of Astro Field. Our new building will also serve our Y Nature Adventures Day Camp program each summer. This project will allow for continued excellence in environmental education within a new building designed and built as an education center. The design is inspired by the beauty of our natural surroundings, incorporating maximum natural light for each classroom, intended to help children and teachers enjoy a more conducive indoor / outdoor relationship with the SSYMCA Natural Science Center property.

The project will also address some outstanding challenges with the existing Science Center property through a redesigned parking lot, enhanced traffic flow patterns, and a complete rebuild of the aging septic system. Additionally, we are working to clean up our trails and install new sign packages to help visitors better navigate our spaces and learn in nature.

The new classroom building project will begin December 2023 with hopes to open for the September 2024 school year. We thank you for your patience as we work to complete this construction with the least amount of disruption to our community.

Contact

We welcome your participation in our fundraising efforts as costs continue to rise and opportunities for recognition exist. If interested in contributing or recognition, please contact Mary Orne, South Shore YMCA Chief Development, at morne@ssymca.org for details.

For questions or more information on the project, contact Kristine Swan, VP of Youth Development, at kswan@ssymca.org.