You’re reading part of our 2026 LINK nky Readers’ Choice Awards. Explore the full guide, including winners for food & drink, shopping, services and more here.
Known for its health club facilities and promotion of Christian values throughout its 2,600 nation-wide branches, the YMCA is more than your typical nonprofit. For over a century, it has played a vital role in building and strengthening communities by offering an array of programs, services, and initiatives to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and faiths.
One of the Y’s core pillars is its contribution to youth development through a wide-range of child care, education, and sport programs. With a vision to build inclusive and joyful environments that empowers young people, the Y offers a unique and inclusive space for children to thrive.
The Campbell County YMCA, located in Fort Thomas, mirrors this vision and unsurprisingly took the gold in the 2026 LINK nky readers choice for best after school program.
Arielle Dawson, who has been the Family Life Director at the Campbell County YMCA for the past two years said she “might have cried” after hearing the news. “It was super exciting. It’s so heartwarming to know that we made such a huge impact with the families and community here that they thought so highly of us to vote for us and nominate us,” said Dawson.
Dawson, who oversees all of the Y’s afterschool programs and day camps held during the summertime, said she wanted to make a difference in the community by transforming and strengthening the program upon her arrival in 2024.
“I noticed that before it used to be just making it through the afternoon, so the past two years I’ve really tried to instill into the staff of planning ahead and finding fun things to do,” said Dawson.
About the Program
Operating throughout the school year, the Campbell County Y’s after school program is housed at three different elementary schools across Fort Thomas: Johnson Elementary, Moyer Elementary, and Woodfill Elementary. Running from 2:45pm to 6pm, Dawson said the agenda involves more than a typical childcare program, and additionally focuses on building life skills through developing connections and achieving goals.
“We are huge on building relationships and helping them have a sense of achievement and feeling like they belong there,” said Dawson.
With around 45 kids enrolled at each school program, Dawson said the Y’s agenda uniquely stands out from others by not only providing educational support, such as homework or reading time, but ensuring a top level of care to the kids through surveys called Hello Insights.
Designed to receive feedback from both kids and parents, Dawson said the surveys are given twice a year to assure a level of openness between the kids/parents and staff, as well as the opportunity to improve operations through changes.
“We do K through two and three through five so that way we’re hitting both of those age groups,” said Dawson. “We go through these surveys with them to see where they feel like they’re being heard, where we might be missing the mark, and what we can do to fix it.”
Each week, staff members will create lesson plans specifically designed around the kids’ needs, which may vary from survey input. When asked what makes the Y’s program unique from other childcare programs around the area, Dawson credited the staff.
“I think the level of care that the staff have for the kids and you can see the genuine care they have for them,” said Dawson. “Winning this was really exciting, especially for our staff because they are absolutely amazing and we would never have gotten this far without them.”
Cost/How to Sign Up
In order to attend the program, a child must be a student at one of the three elementary school sites offered, but is not required to be a member of the YMCA. With a pricing of $98 per week, Dawson says the Y routinely takes affordability into account and even offers yearly scholarships for families through the annual support campaign.
“We really try to make sure the kids have a sense of community, so each year we do the campaign I’ll go out and explain it to them,” said Dawson. “I like the fact that the kids genuinely take it to heart because it gives them a better sense of community and helps them belong to something bigger.”
To sign up for the afterschool program or other programs offered by the Y, parents can go directly to the Campbell County YMCA website, or reach out to Arielle by email at adawson@cincinnatiymca.org.
