Thank you to all those who registered and attended our webinar last week, "Closing the Inequity Gap for Women in the Workplace". We highly encourage everyone to watch and share the webinar recording, and soak up some of the incredible knowledge our national experts shared about the pay wage gap and the impacts of the pandemic for women, their careers, lifetime earning power and retirement prospects.

Chair and Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Author, “The Economics of Women, Men and Work”

PhD at the University of Colorado/Leeds School of Business and Director, Diversity and Identity Management Lab

Colorado State Senator

We have another series of our popular Being an Anti-racist training starting in February. This training series is for individuals who are committed to learning more about the personal, interpersonal, institutional and structural systems of racism that can lead to informed action and transformation of a community determined to end racism.  

We ask that participants commit to attending all three sessions when they register, since the information will build on previous sessions.

Register today! Registration required by Monday, Feb 15.

We are now offering our Being an Anti-racist Training Series for organizations. If your business or organization would like to receive an individualized training, please contact Shiquita Yarborough at syarbrough@ywcaboulder.org to learn more and for pricing information.

Join us for a free introduction to coding and participate in hands-on coding activities. Hear from an employee panel from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on their experiences as women in STEM.

The first 10 girls to log-on on Feb. 12 will receive a prize!

For more information, please contact Karina Corral at kcorral@ywcaboulder.org.

Reading to End Racism Reading Days in local elementary schools are fully virtual and in need of volunteers! Hear about this new volunteer's experience at our recent Uni Hill Elementary Reading Day:

"My experience was amazing! Once I saw the opportunity to participate in RER, I didn’t even hesitate. I saw there were a handful of classrooms in need of bilingual readers and decided to reach out to my Spanish speaking colleagues. I was surprised to see that two of them signed-up. One of them was a student at Uni Hill and was paired with her old elementary school teacher!

I was very nervous at first, I signed-up to read to a Spanish 5^th grade classroom. Even though Spanish is my first language, I use English 97% of the time. It was my first volunteer experience where I could use my first language and I did not want to mess it up. I pre-read my book so many times before the RER Reading Day. Once I joined the google meet link, I was greeted by a classroom filled with smiling faces eager to meet the guest in their class that day. I introduced myself with a small background of my life and why I was reading to them that day. My book was titled “Solo Pregunta” (Just Ask) and it teaches kids about disabilities that are visible and non-visible. The whole class was very engaged from the beginning and at the end of each section I would stop and ask a few questions. When we finished the section about autism, a girl named Taylor shared that her brother has autism and that she helps him at home. We also read a section on allergies, and many of the kids jumped to share what allergies each of them have. At the end I gave them an opportunity to ask me any questions they had, which I answered “No I am not a teacher”. We wrapped up the session with this goal, to always ask questions and always be a friend. I am already looking forward to the next RER session.

-Alondra Vazquez"

Upcoming RER Reading Days in need of volunteers: February 18 at Whittier Elementary School: Sign- up here.

We are especially in need of bilingual, Spanish-speaking RER readers! If you have questions or would like more information, please email Karina Corral at kcorral@ywcaboulder.org.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we'll be hosting a virtual event called “How to Talk to Your Kids About Racism”. The event will take place from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 22. We'll be discussing topics including how to raise children to treat others fairly when they see racial injustice; what are the pros and cons of talking openly about race and racial injustice with our children; what is the price of silence; and more.

According to our Director of Community Engagement and Equity, Shiquita Yarbrough, “Children are never too young to be exposed to diversity, and research shows that kids recognize differences in skin color from a very young age. When kids are as young as just three months old, they may look differently at people who look like or don’t look like their moms, dads, and siblings. Opening a discussion about racial injustice and diversity is essential no matter the color of your child’s skin.”

We hope you’ll join us for this special introductory program discussing parenting with a racial justice lens. The event is free, and registration is required.

Learn more about the other Racial Justice & Equity education and training sessions we’ve got coming up at YWCA Boulder County here.

Donating your car to help your favorite nonprofit is a quick and easy process. Here is what a donor who recently donated a vehicle had to say about his experience:

"I was introduced to the YWCA through my company, and, as the father of a teenage daughter, I connected immediately to the YWCA's focus on helping young women. While the COVID-19 pandemic has paused my company's involvement in sponsoring the YWCA's fundraising events, the needs of the women and families directly supported by those events haven't gone away... in many ways, they've become more dire. My wife and I decided to donate a car we no longer needed to the YWCA in hopes that the funds raised by its sale might help in these difficult times.

The process of donating was very easy... everything was submitted online, the car was picked up from our house, and we received a tax-deductible receipt as soon as it was sold. We had never donated a car before, but looking back on it, we're so glad we made the decision."

If you have questions or would like to donate a vehicle, get in touch with Robyn Hazlitt at rhazlitt@ywcaboulder.org.

Persimmon Early Learning (formerly Children's Alley) is Enrolling for Traditional/Permanent Child Care Slots

Start the enrollment process today to secure spots for permanent care!

Visit our website and fill out our Interest Form to sign up for an Info Session, be notified of Virtual Tours, and begin the enrollment process today. 

For additional questions, please email Kate Hise at: khise@ywcaboulder.org.

Once a quarter we bring our Persimmon Early Learning classrooms to you with Persimmon Grove, our eNews for parents. Hear what each classroom has been focused on, and learn nutrition and wellness tips too!

IDC Infant Nursery Supervisor

I joined the YWCA team in August of 2020.

I’m the Infant Nursery Supervisor, but I’m also a teacher in the IDC. I enjoy teaching and caring for the children we have in this room.

My favorite thing about the YWCA is the close-knit community of the teachers. We all support one other and the children we care for.

My family loves Disney World and we try to go together fairly frequently.

Thank you, Sunflower Bank, for being one of our first 2021 Gala Sponsors!