What Meriden YMCA does

The Meriden YMCA is a community-based nonprofit organization operating as part of the Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA association, serving over 11,600 members across Meriden, New Britain, and Berlin, Connecticut. Founded in 1866, the organization delivers programming across ten core areas: youth development (childcare, preschool, before/after school care, summer camp, sports, arts, STEM, swimming), healthy living (fitness center, CrossFit, group exercise, personal training, cardiac rehab, diabetes prevention, SilverSneakers senior wellness), and social responsibility (adaptive programs for individuals with disabilities, financial assistance, summer youth employment). It operates five physical facilities including the main Meriden HQ at 110 West Main Street, Mountain Mist Day Camp at 576 High Hill Road, the Athletic Center, Y Arts Center, and Exploration Station, and is the largest childcare and preschool provider in Meriden.

The organization generates revenue through a tiered model combining recurring membership dues (family, household, youth, program tiers), per-session program fees (with full-member vs. program-member vs. non-member pricing), grants and donations from corporate and foundation funders (Cox, NASA, 3M, Tech Boost, Napier Foundation, Meriden Foundation), and facility rentals for parties and events. Pricing is granular by program — for example, before/after school care runs $72-$164/week, dance classes $52-$160/month by level, traditional camp $357-$407 per two-week session, and private swim lessons $79-$394 per package. Distribution occurs through in-person registration, online registration via the Daxko platform, phone registration, and school-based channel partnerships with Meriden Public Schools.

Underlying technology is standard nonprofit operations infrastructure: Daxko for member account management, TeachingStrategies tadpoles for childcare parent communication, CampDoc for camp health records, and Remind for SMS alerts. The organization is led by CEO John Benigni and operates without any disclosed venture, private equity, or public ownership structure. It is part of the CT Alliance of YMCAs and benefits from nationwide membership reciprocity through the broader YMCA brand.

Name

Meriden YMCA

Legal name

Meriden YMCA

Website

https://meridenymca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Meriden YMCA is a Connecticut community nonprofit, operating as part of the Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA, serving 11,600+ members across Meriden, New Britain, and Berlin through youth development, childcare, fitness, aquatics, camp, and adaptive programs from five facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Recreation and Youth Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Child care services
• Fitness and wellness
• Community recreation
• Swimming instruction

Headquarters

HQ city

Meriden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual and monthly membership fees including family, household, youth, and program membership tiers with varying privilege levels
2. Program Fees: Fees for arts, dance, camp, childcare, education, fitness, sports, swimming and other programs with differentiated pricing for Full Members vs Program Members vs Non-Members
3. Grants and Donations: Funding from grants (Cox Charities, Tech Boost, NASA, 3M STEM grants) and charitable donations to support programs and financial assistance
4. Facility Rentals and Parties: Rental income from hosting parties and events at YMCA facilities including gymnastics birthday parties

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Meriden YMCA is a community-based nonprofit organization that delivers youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility programming through memberships, program enrollment, and facility rentals. It operates multiple facilities in Meriden, Connecticut—including the main YMCA, Mountain Mist Day Camp, Athletic Center, and Y Arts Center—offering child care, summer camp, sports, swimming, arts, fitness, education, and adaptive programming for individuals from infancy through seniors.

Product overview

The Meriden YMCA is a community nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs organized across ten core areas: Arts Programs (visual arts, dance, music production, theater, voice/piano), Mountain Mist Day Camp (summer day camp with specialty programs for ages 3-16), Child Care Programs (infant through school-age care), Education Programs (tutoring, STEM, Red Cross certifications), Health & Fitness Programs (group exercise, CrossFit, personal training, rehabilitation), Homeschool Enrichment, Sports Programs (youth and adult leagues), Swimming Programs (lessons and competitive team), and Membership Programs. The organization serves as the largest childcare provider in Meriden, CT, and operates under a combined Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA association serving over 11,600 members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mountain Mist Day Camp: Summer day camp operated by the Meriden YMCA offering traditional and specialty camp programs for youth ages 3-16, including activities like swimming, arts, sports, STEM, and adventure programs at 576 High Hill Road, Meriden, CT.
• Y Art Garage
• Mountain Mist Outdoor Center

Products and services

• Arts Programs Visual arts, dance, music production, theater, voice, and piano instruction for children and adults across multiple skill levels.
• Mountain Mist Day Camp Summer day camp for children ages 3-16 offering traditional camp activities, swimming, sports, arts, specialty camps (adaptive, STEM, performing arts, cooking, sports), and outdoor recreation at the Mountain Mist Outdoor Center.
• Child Care Programs Full-spectrum licensed childcare including infant and toddler care, preschool, before and after school care (K-5), school vacation programs, and snow day club for working families. The YMCA is the largest childcare provider in Meriden, CT.
• Education Programs Educational enrichment including reading and math tutoring, the STEM Academy with robotics and building programs, and American Red Cross certification courses for lifeguarding, CPR, first aid, and babysitting.
• Health & Fitness Programs Comprehensive fitness offerings including group exercise classes, CrossFit, personal training, cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes prevention, blood pressure management, cooking classes, weight loss programs, and workplace wellness.
• Homeschool Enrichment Programs Specialized enrichment for homeschool families covering art, cooking, CrossFit, gymnastics, music, Spanish, STEAM, theater, and swimming lessons.
• Sports Programs Youth and adult sports leagues and instruction including basketball, flag football, soccer, T-ball, tennis, volleyball, gymnastics, karate, pickleball, disc golf, and youth sports performance training.
• Swimming Programs Aquatic programming including group and private swim lessons for all ages, the Seals Swim Team with competitive levels, and homeschool swimming lessons.
• Membership Programs Full facility and program membership options with nationwide membership reciprocity, special rates for seniors and veterans, and financial assistance through Care4Kids.
• Friday Night at the Y Free drop-in recreation program for middle school students featuring basketball, pool access, and various sports and games.
• Parties and Facility Rentals Rental of YMCA facilities for parties and events, including gymnastics birthday parties and other hosted gatherings.
• Adaptive Programs Inclusive adaptive programming for children ages 6 and up with disabilities, including adaptive camp with 1:1 support and adaptive fitness training delivered in partnership with Special Strong Central CT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served over 11,600 members with 826 staff and 172 summer youth employment positions in 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Special Strong Central CTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial Strong Central CT partnered with Meriden-New Britain-Berlin YMCA to bring adaptive fitness to the community. Offers personalized 1-on-1 training and fun group classes using the CBSE Adaptive Fitness Training Model to build strength, confidence, and independence for individuals with disabilities.
• Meriden FoundationsupportingOthersThe Meriden Foundation provided funding support for Adaptive Programming at the Meriden YMCA, enabling inclusive programming for children with disabilities.
• CT Lions ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCT Lions Club, specifically the Pathfinders program, works with the YMCA to operate a summer camp for children with diabetes. The Lions Club was instrumental in creating the disc golf course at Mountain Mist and supports the annual Pathfinders T1D Camp with two one-week sessions in August.
• Meriden Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for before and after school childcare programs at Thomas Hooker, Israel Putnam, Ben Franklin, John Barry, and Roger Sherman Elementary Schools. Bus transportation provided for students from Casimir Pulaski, Hanover, and Nathan Hale schools.
• American Red CrosscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYMCA offers American Red Cross certification courses including Lifeguard Training, CPR/First Aid, and Babysitting Training with certification provided upon completion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Planet Fitness: National low-cost commercial fitness chain with locations throughout Connecticut. Directly competes for fitness membership dollars with the Y's basic fitness center offering, particularly for members who don't need pool, childcare, or youth programming.
• YMCA of Greater New York: Much larger metropolitan YMCA association operating dozens of branches across NYC. A direct functional peer in programming mix but at significantly broader scale, and a strong mobile-credential threat via the nationwide YMCA membership reciprocity Meriden participates in.
• Life Time Fitness: Premium national fitness operator with broad amenities including pools, kids programming, and group exercise. Represents the higher-end commercial competitor positioned against the Y's full-service family membership offering, especially for higher-income members.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National network of youth development clubs operating after-school, summer, and teen programming with the same youth-development nonprofit positioning as the YMCA. While Boys & Girls Clubs historically focus more narrowly on youth, their presence in the same towns overlaps directly with YMCA youth verticals.

Direct peers

• Hartford YMCA: Another Connecticut-based YMCA association serving a similar urban Connecticut community with comparable programming across youth development, fitness, aquatics, and childcare. Functions under the same CT Alliance of YMCAs as the Meriden YMCA and competes for the same member demographic on a regional basis.
• Greater Valley YMCA: Regional Connecticut YMCA serving the lower Connecticut River Valley with youth development, fitness, and camp programs functionally identical to Meriden YMCA. Directly competes for Connecticut YMCA families, particularly on camp and aquatics programming.
• Boys & Girls Club of Meriden: Local Boys & Girls Club serving Meriden-area youth with comparable youth-development nonprofit mission, including after-school programming, sports, and teen services. Directly overlaps with the YMCA's youth and childcare verticals in the same geographic market.
• New Haven YMCA: Coastal Connecticut YMCA association delivering the full suite of membership fitness, aquatics, youth programs, and childcare like Meriden YMCA. Operates under similar Connecticut market conditions and serves comparable demographic and economic member segments.
• JCC of Greater New Haven: Jewish Community Center operating as a membership-based community recreation and youth development organization with fitness, aquatics, arts, camp, and early childhood programming. Same community-center operating model as the YMCA but anchored on a different community identity.

Emerging players

• Kiddie Academy: National franchised childcare and educational childcare provider with a comparable educational-childcare offering. Competes with the YMCA's preschool and before/after-school verticals on quality, accreditation, and curriculum branding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/jfgmerymca08/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/YMCA.Meriden
• Instagraminstagram.com/ymcamountainmistdaycamp/?hl=en
• Xx.com/MeridenYMCA

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Meriden YMCA