Y Stories: Amy Carter

Amy Carter, Y Preschool Teacher

It’s late August, the week between YMCA Summer Camp and the first days of a new school year. Y Preschool Teacher Amy Carter sits in a small yellow chair in her classroom—books, chairs, and cups of markers, color pencils, and crayons are stacked behind her. Typically, her room is filled with vibrant colors, shapes, and art, hanging from strings on the ceiling or pasted on the walls around the room. But, during this week of limbo, the room is deconstructed, waiting to be assembled. “One of my favorite things is putting a room together. Tearing a room apart is not so fun,” Carter laughed. “But I like creating—that’s my fun in teaching. Being able to present whatever we’re learning in a way that is hands-on for the kids.”

Carter is in her 28th year of involvement in the Mid-Willamette Family YMCA. A long-beloved preschool teacher in the Albany community, she has taught generations of children and has built connections with many young parents who have come through the YMCA’s doors to attend the Y Preschool. However, teaching at the Y Preschool wasn’t always her plan—she arrived at the Y organically for the first time in 1997, when a friend invited her to a step fitness class.

In the 1990s, Carter explained, you could volunteer in Child Watch, the YMCA’s on-site childcare service, in exchange for a family membership. As a mother with young children, volunteering at the Y was a perfect arrangement: she could watch her kids and work at the same time.

Carter, who is originally from Roseburg, moved to Albany for her husband’s work. She had a background in childhood education and experience working at a preschool in Happy Valley but became a stay-at-home mom after having kids. Yet, after a few years, her volunteer work at the Y evolved from Child Watch to the Y Preschool and Summer Camp.

“I think we had no more than 12 kids in our classroom. The classroom was the racquetball viewing room at the time, [in the old building],” Carter said. That room was half the size of Carter’s current preschool classroom, which now holds up to 20 kids. Back then, the Y offered only a three-day morning preschool class.

Around 2000, Carter decided to take a break from working at the Y when she became pregnant with her son, Zack. But soon after, she received a call that would ultimately shape the next 25 years of her life: she was asked if she would be willing to be the lead teacher for the Y Preschool.

“When I got that call, I freaked out, and then came in and completely tore that classroom apart,” Carter said. “That’s how I started teaching at the Y. I was scared to death, but I absolutely loved it.”

From there, Carter’s classes picked up steam. The class schedule expanded to include afternoons and went from three days a week to five. Carter explained that while she loved the intimate, family feel of the old YMCA, the program has since seen tremendous growth. This was expedited by the construction of the new YMCA building, which meant a brand-new classroom for the Y Preschool.

Carter’s teaching philosophies are rooted in Christian values. One of her favorite aspects of teaching at the Y is the ability and freedom to connect kids through Creation by bringing the outside world into the classroom. One thing she particularly likes about her classroom now is the windows: a contrast to her classroom in the old YMCA, which was tucked away in the back of the building and lacked access to the outside.

“I usually always have flowers, or things brought in from the outside, so that we can learn from that,” Carter said. “Just being able to see outside and watch the seasons change was huge.”

At the Y Preschool, Carter theme-teaches, meaning she builds her curriculum and activities around specific themes for the kids. This year, she is looking forward to a transportation theme, which she has never done before. Carter’s at-home garage, though, is full of different items and activities from themes throughout the years. Some of her favorites include her Arctic and Antarctica theme, where students learn about polar regions and natural phenomena like the Aurora Borealis, and her rainforest and desert themes, where students learn about animals from around the world, all rooted in the notion of Creation.

“Of course, we’re learning ABCs, 123s, and all of that at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, that’s part of that,” Carter laughed. “But that’s how you learn. You’re putting all that in without the kids knowing that they’re actually learning at the same time.”

Along with themes, Carter stresses the importance of structure, stories, songs, and above all else, reading. Carter even gifts students books for their birthdays, amassing a huge collection of children’s books over the years. She wants to instill a love of reading in the kids before they have a chance to start reading on their own. “You can go anywhere in the world through a book,” she tells them.

Carter also loves the ability to swim and teach children how to become comfortable in the water as part of the Y Preschool’s curriculum. During weekdays throughout the school year, she's often seen in the pool, shepherding kids from one side to the other, one at a time.

“I get to play and swim and be a kid every day. Laughter. What is rewarding about teaching?” Carter said. “Little voices—their little voices and stories. The sparkle in their eyes when they’re learning something and they get it.”

Carter’s staff has also been a bright spot during her time at the Y. She said that, for many, a job at the YMCA is a stepping stone, and she has had the opportunity to work with a number of assistants and staff throughout her tenure, sometimes for several years. She expressed joy in mentoring and witnessing past staff members now become teachers themselves, taking on their own students and classrooms. In all, she is immensely grateful for the support she has received in building the Y Preschool program.

“I couldn’t do what I do without the assistance of my staff,” Carter said.

Despite this, Carter notes that working full-time as a preschool teacher hasn’t always been easy. She described the politics of working at a place for 20+ years—various supervisors, the move to a new building, and the significant growth of the program—but believes that God has placed her here, at the YMCA.

“I give that to God, because he really has made this a home away from home for me here. Because, over the years, my husband and I both work for nonprofit organizations. So money has been tough. And every time I’ve asked, ‘Should I move?’ I’ve always felt God would let me know if I needed to move forward or to stay. And he’s always said I just need to stay and continue,” Carter said. “He’s blessed us in tremendous ways.”

Carter speaks to the generosity she has witnessed over the years among families at the YMCA, such as food and resource sharing. She’s noticed all the ways—big and small—that families provide for each other as part of this community.

One year, Carter’s husband worked full-time while she worked part-time, so one of them could be at home watching their kids. One of her preschool families knew she was struggling and handed her a check for $1,000.

“They handed it to me and said, ‘We just felt in our hearts’—they collected it at the service of their church,” Carter said. “And that was an answered prayer, and that’s a reason to stay where I am working, to continue to provide for the people in our community.”

These families and their kids—along with the ability to act as a mentor for students, young staff, and parents—have been one of the most rewarding aspects of Carter’s work at the YMCA. She said now, after decades of teaching, she is witnessing past preschool students and staff graduating from college, starting families of their own, and returning to the YMCA preschool, where Carter has the opportunity to support and teach a new generation of students.

“I’ve truly been blessed to teach here at the YMCA for so many years. Having the freedom to share God’s love and Creation with the children in our community has made teaching a wonderful experience for me,” Carter said. “I pray that I’ve touched the hearts of those who have needed it the most over the years. And I am truly grateful to be continuing the role as Teacher Amy.”

For more information on our Y Preschool, visit www.ymcaalbany.org/preschool.