In some of Kalamazoo’s neighborhoods, 9 out of 10 children are not in a high-quality early learning program. This impacts their caregiver’s ability to find steady employment and pursue education, and it creates a barrier to an equitable start to their educational career.

YWCA is on a mission to innovate and model best practices at the intersection of education and equity through the development of an effective workforce, and creating access to culturally relevant early childhood education programs.

The impact of systemic racism is increased infant mortality for black babies. In Kalamazoo County, from 2016-2018, Black infants died at 2.8 times the rate of their white neighbors. Infant mortality affects all of us because we are all a part of this community.

YWCA’s goal is for every birthing parent to have a healthy pregnancy and for every child to reach their first birthday with key developmental milestones met. Our Maternal and Child Health programs promote healthy pregnancies, positive birth outcomes, and overall well-being of infants and mothers in Kalamazoo.

YWCA Kalamazoo provides comprehensive, free services to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault. Our services extend from emergency response during a crisis through long-term housing. We provide therapy and advocacy, access to a full legal team, support groups, and the assurance of safety.

In addition to our direct services work, and despite the pandemic, YWCA Kalamazoo continued to work tirelessly to educate the public and influence policymakers on local, state, and national levels

We advance racial and gender equity by ensuring that the voices of underrepresented communities are heard. Every day we mobilize our communities, transforming their voices into policy, practice, and procedures. We shift systems, we shift institutions.