Rendering of YMCA Four Points at 8300 N RM 620 at the Trails at 620.
Steiner Ranch residents Colleen and Jim Clark of The Schmetterling Foundation have donated $3 million to help launch the Four Points YMCA Tomorrow Academy. Kathy Kuras, Greater Austin YMCA President & CEO, (seated on the right) said, “We’ve gathered input on what the community needs, with affordable, high-quality childcare rising to the top of the list.”
Staff Reports
Jim and Colleen Clark of Steiner Ranch have committed a $3 million gift from The Schmetterling Foundation to the Greater Austin YMCA that will help the local nonprofit community enterprise launch its first YMCA Tomorrow Academy early childhood education center in Four Points. The childcare center is set to open at 8300 N RM 620 at the Trails at 620 in early 2025 and will mark the first phase of a new YMCA that will ultimately include health and wellness, sports, swimming and enrichment programs.
When the Clarks convened a family meeting to discuss philanthropy 13 years ago, they struck upon the fascinating concept of a butterfly’s metamorphosis. The difficult, transformative process that each creature goes through reminded Jim of the journey that a community-based nonprofit organization must undertake to bring a project to life. That’s why they chose the German word for butterfly – “schmetterling” – to name their family foundation.
“If a butterfly doesn’t fight its way out of the chrysalis and spread its wings to dry, it won’t survive,” said Jim, a former engineer and high school science teacher. “It takes hours, and they’re not happy about it. But when it’s done and they fly off, they’re the most beautiful and spectacular creatures.”
“So we thought about how that relates to giving,” Jim said. “If you just give people things or do it for them, it doesn’t necessarily accomplish what you want. But if you give them enough help to start breaking out, they can learn from the process and become stronger.”
The family’s gift will help bring the new YMCA Tomorrow Academy to life, with eight classrooms offering early childhood education for infants, toddlers and PreK students. The Tomorrow Academy will deliver a Reggio Emilia-inspired, student-centered and inquiry-based early learning model rooted in education, experiential learning and care of the whole child. The Y will take this approach one step further by integrating hands-on-learning, quality outdoor learning experiences, nature-play and family engagement to nurture young hearts, minds and bodies.
“At the Tomorrow Academy, the classroom will serve as the ‘third instructor,’ so to speak,” said Jason Gindele, YMCA chief youth development officer “We’ll combine this with a certified OLE (Outdoor Learning Environment) playground and wrap-around enrichment programs that the Y is known for.”
The Clarks moved to Austin 10 years ago from Valparaiso, Indiana, where they were active with the local YMCA there. Since launching their foundation, education has been a top priority, with early childhood education recently coming into focus.
“This is an area that’s growing rapidly, and there’s a ton of families without huge resources,” said Colleen Clark. “What better area to put something like this? Having had to find childcare when I was working, and seeing what families are facing today, we know there’s a huge need, especially since the pandemic.”
But true to the Schmetterling philosophy, even with the gift, the Y has its work cut out to fulfill the community’s vision for the new facility.
“Over the past 18 months, we’ve gathered input on what the community needs, with affordable, high-quality childcare rising to the top of the list,” said Kathy Kuras, Greater Austin YMCA President & CEO. “But we also know that we will need to raise an additional $12 million to bring the full community vision to life. That is where the Y is asking for help and rallying of the community.”
This vision for the project – which totals $22 million – will take shape in three phases over the next 18 to 24 months. Following the opening of the YMCA Tomorrow Academy, the second phase will focus on the facility’s extensive outdoor spaces, with a swimming pool, splash pad and playground, sport courts that include basketball, pickleball and futsal, as well as outdoor fitness and family gathering spaces.
Phase Three will encompass the indoor fitness center, with curated health & wellness studios, high-intensity training and YMCA360 virtual production space. The LAB will be a place where kids explore their creativity through everything from STEM and tech to cooking and art. Explorer Point will offer drop-in care and parent-child co-play opportunities in an environment resembling a mini-children’s museum. The Y will also provide a coworking lounge as well as gathering spots to help incubate the many entrepreneurial ventures in Four Points.
“Each Y is volunteer-led and a reflection of the local community,” Kuras said. “So we’re in the process of assembling a Campaign Steering Committee of area leaders who will help us engage the surrounding neighborhoods and homeowner groups and support fundraising so they can feel ownership in the project.”
Kuras, who lives in the Four Points area, said the timeline for opening each phase will depend on the community’s support for the project, but initial interest has been strong.
“Four Points is a wonderful collection of neighborhoods, churches, schools and businesses,” Kuras said. “But the one thing people say is missing is a central hub where everyone can come together, and that’s one thing the Y is especially good at creating: community.”
The YMCA Four Points site had previously served as a Children’s Learning Adventure Child Care Center. The property is 9 acres, and the building was completed in 2016. In addition to the structure, the property currently includes a variety of outdoor amenities, bringing the total area of programmable space to 55,000 square feet.
To learn more details about the Tomorrow Academy or about supporting the YMCA’s project in Four Points, visit www.austinymca.org/childcare/tomorrow-academy/.