Work will begin in summer 2025 on a major $19 million expansion of our St. Paul Midway YMCA campus to create the Peter J. King Family Foundation Center for Child and Family Wellbeing. 

The new center, scheduled to open in fall 2026, will be located at 530 North Wheeler Street, directly across from our existing Midway YMCA.

This significant investment will have a transformational impact, helping to alleviate local childcare deserts, nurture the wellbeing of families, and develop the childcare workforce Minnesota needs.

Once completed, this state-of-the-art facility will be the hub for our YMCA of the North School Age Care and licensed childcare programs. It will also include spaces for Head Start early childhood programs, as well as provide the community with gathering spaces to strengthen current and future partnerships.

We are eager to provide an even higher level of support to our youth and families through the center. 

We appreciate the support and patience of our members, participants and communities as we complete this substantial project. 

Starting this summer, our Midway School Age Care (before and after school care) and Summer Power (summer care) programs will temporarily operate at the Midway YMCA as the new center is being constructed. 

  • Programming for approximately 50 youth each week will be utilizing space within the Midway YMCA.
  • We’re excited to welcome these young people and families into our branch and anticipate minimal impact to existing member services. 

We anticipate potential parking challenges since the construction project will temporarily reduce neighborhood parking options. Plans are in place to provide as much parking as possible to members and guests. 

  • Our Midway YMCA parking lot will continue to be reserved for YMCA members and guests.
  • Alternative parking is available after 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. 

There will not be any changes to our current pool schedule, gym schedule or group exercise schedules.  Fitness center and eGym utilization will not be impacted.

If there are any potential changes, we will post details for our members and guests within our branch, on our Midway YMCA website and on our Midway YMCA Facebook group page. 

We encourage you to be a part of our Facebook group.

We love a busy Y; however, we understand some may prefer to visit during quieter hours.

If your schedule allows and you are looking for the most convenient parking and quietest fitness center hours, you can plan your visit for Monday-Friday 5-8 a.m., 12:30-4 p.m. or 7-9 p.m., after 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays, or any time on Sundays.

While we are very excited start this project, the process of construction is never convenient and we apologize for the inconvenience and disruption this will cause to your normal experience when visiting our Y.

The construction site will be fenced in for safety reasons and there will be heavy equipment using Wheeler to access the site that may cause additional delays.

During the week, we recommend leaving extra time to navigate whatever construction activities there may be that day. 

We expect higher traffic flow during drop-off and pick-up times for childcare programs.

Drop-off and pick up of School Age Care/Summer Power participants will be along Wheeler Street. 

We are grateful for everyone’s patience and partnership to keep our drop-off and pick-up areas safe. 

With questions about the project, contact our Customer Service Center and your inquiry will be routed appropriately. 

The Peter J. King Family Foundation Center for Child and Family Wellbeing will be a vibrant, multi-generational hub focusing on support for children, families, caregivers, and aspiring childcare professionals.  

  • Our programming will include early care and school-age programs, as well as coaching and on-site resources for parents and families.  
  • Through partnerships with higher education institutions and not-for-profit organizations, we will provide workforce training for future childcare and child development professionals in Minnesota, enhancing career pathways in this vital field.  
  • This holistic approach will focus on enhancing family wellbeing, promoting economic prosperity and improving health outcomes, ultimately empowering families for a brighter future.

The center is planned as a new 27,000 square foot building that features 12 classrooms, multipurpose spaces, a gymnasium and an outdoor rooftop classroom.  

We anticipate the new facility will serve 2,000 children annually and extend services to more than 6,000 family members, creating a vital resource for our community.

Learn more about the background of this project and how you can support this exciting new way to serve the St. Paul area community.