“Opportunities for deep play abound. In its thrall we become ideal versions of ourselves.” -Diane Ackerman, Deep Play

Dear friends,

In our last update, we celebrated making it through a formative winter. Last spring, we bid farewell to some great friends of the program, whose kind, selfless, and loving relationships helped shape PYC into what it is today. As the 2025-2026 school year wrapped up, leadership at PYC stepped up to bring a new dream to life: our first ever Summer Camp!

We are proud to report that Summer Camp 2026 was a resounding success:

10 weeks. 10 ½ hours a day. Four meals a day. Five days a week.

Four counselors. 30 kids. 525 hours of care. 200 meals.

Free, for every child.

We regularly visited Fox Pond Park, Pease Public Library, the HUB and Courtroom at Plymouth State University, the Rotary Amphitheater at Riverside Park, and the town Common, introducing many of our young friends to their hometown in new ways, exploring, having fun, and just scratching the surface of what our beautiful town has to offer.

PYC extends our heartfelt gratitude to our friends at Plymouth State University, Plymouth Rec, Pease Public Library, Plymouth Rotary, Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, Plymouth Regional Senior Center, and all of the other amazing businesses and organizations that make our community shine. Thank you for all that you do! We could not have done it without our incredible community.

“We played [tons of games] . . . we had so much fun together!” -Youth Participant, 10

“Camp was like a dream . . . I learned how to make new friends, which, for some people, is really scary.” -Youth Participant, 9

After summer we were riding high, right into the new school year.

This September, we proudly launched PYC Junior at Plymouth Elementary in partnership with Plymouth Rec. Every weekday evening, our new K–4 friends at PES are lovingly led by Mrs. Abby Trader—a PSU alumna who joined the team over the summer—who focuses on play-based learning and small-group activities emphasizing age-level-appropriate, social-emotional curriculum.

We are currently serving around 30 youth at PYC Junior, Monday–Friday.

This autumn, we are looking forward to deepening our connection to the new children in our care, and strengthening our relationships with community partners, parents, and friends.

Stay tuned for a few special reports on the horizon, and keep working on love.

With gratitude,

The PYC Team