Life-Changing Partnership Benefits Both Berwyn’s Timothy School, Upper Main Line YMCA

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Missy Mundy admits that, of all the programs offered to the 69 students at The Timothy School in Berwyn, one stands out to her above the rest.

The Timothy School, a nonprofit school for children with autism, has been a partner with the Upper Main Line YMCA for more than 30 years. Under the supervision of the UMLY staff, the school’s students use UMLY’s pool to learn water safety, how to swim, float, and be comfortable in the water.

“I love the swim program,” Mundy said. “I love all the programs, but I really love the swim program because we start when the kids are five. Many of our kids love the water. It’s a great medium for our kids because there’s no resistance in the water, so it makes it easier for them to move.”

While most kids quickly take to the water, there are a few outliers who have their reservations about it. In extreme cases, it can take up to a year or two for kids to get comfortable in the water, but for most, two to three weeks will do it. It helps to have teachers like the ones at UMLY, including Tracy Degerberg, Jackie Cattie, Susanna Grundstein, and Danielle Yentz.

“Tracy Degerberg has been volunteering with our group for years, and she knows the kids really well and she knows how to approach them,” Mundy said. “She knows how to calm the students who are having a difficult time getting used to the water and having water touch their heads. It’s a slow progression for some, and for some, it’s ‘get in here and what are we going to do next?’”

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Water safety is a point of emphasis at the YMCA, especially since drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children 1-4 years old, and the second-leading cause in children ages 5-14. According to the National Autism Association, accidental drowning accounted for 91 percent of total U.S. deaths reported in children 14 and under with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“UMLY’s partnership with the Timothy School is incredibly important to us because it helps the Y play a critical role in the everyday development of these kids,” said UMLY Senior Executive Director Helen Flanders. “It’s such a great feeling to see the growth and change in the kids as they progress, and they love coming to the Y. Their swimming lessons help keep them safe, especially since accidental drowning is so prevalent in the younger autism community.”

The swim program doesn’t take long to do wonders for a student’s confidence. Once the kids get in the water, they start to get more comfortable, and usually, a massive upgrade in confidence follows.

“I see a tremendous jump in confidence. I go the first week that they go over, and it’s good to see where they are,” Mundy said. “Then I go back later, and I see them and I’m just absolutely amazed because you can see the comfort level that has increased in all of the students and their ability to interact with people that are not on our staff.”

If you’re at the UMLY, you’ll probably see The Timothy School’s great students in the pool, and because of that, you’ll know that the pool is helping them improve their everyday lives.

“We don’t teach autistic children. We teach children with autism,” Mundy said. “When we teach a child, we teach someone who’s going to turn into an adult, and it’s not just their learning difference that makes up who they are. They’re a whole person and we have to take that whole person into account.”

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