YMCA x ArtReach

This community mural at the Copley-Price Family YMCA was created in collaboration with ArtReach and Children’s First Collective. It was created to honor the children, families, and childcare providers of San Diego while advocating for accessible, equitable, and affordable childcare.

Painted with the help of more than 175 community members and located near the YMCA’s preschool, the mural unfolds as a visual story across the wall highlighting the adversity and triumph of childcare advocates and providers everywhere.

The first panel illustrates a raccoon parent and kit sheltering from a storm, with flickering lightning bugs surrounding them- offering a small but hopeful glimmer of light. The imagery then moves through scenes of care and growth—including a watering can nurturing a young sprout and a neighborhood with the message “It Takes a Village.” Red wagons reference childcare advocate Margaret Brodkin and her historic effort to deliver 68,000 signatures to San Francisco City Hall in support of childcare initiatives. In the final scene, the sprout has grown into blooming flowers surrounding a joyful family riding a tandem bike in the sun—symbolizing the powerful outcomes that can flourish when communities come together to support children and families.