Delaware Youth Center

The Delaware Youth Center runs and welcomes events and activities for the residents  and visitors to nearby townships in New York and Pennsylvania. In this rural area where many households have limited incomes, we provide social, recreational, and educational opportunities for the whole family.

Children are the focus of our programming. Our Summer Program has served thousands of children over the last forty years. The multi-week sports, environmental, and arts program meets every weekday morning. Grants and donations allow us to hire staff.  We provide a wide range of outside organizations to present. The National Park Service works with our children to teach them about the world of nature. Raptors, reptiles, bunnies, and service/farm animals all make an appearance. The program offers amazing opportunities to experience a new adventure for the first time, learn something new, and make a lot of friends.

The sports fields host annual baseball and soccer programs. Our outdoor amenities include tennis and outdoor basketball courts and pickleball. 

Pickleball has arrived at the Delaware Youth Center.  We have two courts located on the basketball courts and one on the tennis court. Pickleball is a sport in which two, three, or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, similar to a wiffleball, over a net. The sport shares features of other racquet sports, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules similar to tennis, with a few modifications.     

Open to Membership after NOON on weekdays - Saturday and Sunday All Day

If you are interested in playing, you will need to bring your own equipment.  As interest grows, we will continue to assess the equipment situation.  

Please remember you will be sharing the courts - pickleball, basketball, and tennis - Be conscientious of other players.        

Our playground and swings are designed for maximum fun, while the skateboard park offers older kids a place to relax and hone their skills—it was designed by teen volunteers who helped raise money to create it.  For information on any of our programs, please visit the  Contact Us page.

The Youth Center hosts three annual holiday parties for our members: an Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Parade, and Holiday Party. Please see the Events Page.

The Tractor Parade is an annual Delaware Youth Center event which usually brings between 200 and 300 tractors to town. The event concludes with a BBQ at the Center and each year sees a unique Tractor Parade tee shirt.

The Delaware Youth Center’s Hermann Hall and the Pavilion are available for rent by community groups for meetings, movies, and fundraisers. The Delaware Youth Center can be used as a venue  for weddings, family reunions, birthdays and  a variety of  celebrations.

The Delaware Young @ Heart also offers opportunities for adults & seniors to participate in many different programs.  Please see Delaware Young at Heart for more information about participating and becoming a member.