2025 KYA Signature Sponsors
2025 KYA In Kind Sponsors
Interested in becoming a 2026 / 27 sponsor?
Contact Abbey Costello to learn more.
Intent and Registration Start Dates
- Intents for KYA will open on April 21, 2026.
- Registration for schools with approved intents opens Sept. 10, 2026.
2026 Session Dates and Deadlines
- All conferences will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - 830 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY 40209.
- Invoices will be sent approximately two weeks after the delegation registration deadline and will be due 15 days later.
| KYA High School Sessions 2026 | Dates | Scholarship Application Deadline | Delegation Registration Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| High School 1 | Nov. 12 - 14 | Sept. 30 | Oct. 14 |
| High School 2 | Nov. 15 - 17 | Oct. 1 | Oct. 15 |
| High School 3 | Nov. 22 - 24 | Oct. 13 | Oct. 27 |
| High School 4 | Dec. 10 - 12 | Oct. 28 | Nov. 11 |
| KYA Middle School Sessions 2026 | Dates | Scholarship Application Deadline | Delegation Registration Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle School 1 | Nov. 5 - 7 | Sept. 23 | Oct. 7 |
| Middle School 2 | Dec. 2 - 4 | Oct. 21 | Nov. 4 |
| Middle School 3 | Dec. 13 - 15 | Oct. 29 | Nov. 12 |
Disclaimer: Any conference could be moved virtually or condensed depending on registration numbers. Special Programs MAY be limited to in-person conferences.
Registration and Rooming Prices for KYA 2026
KY YMCA is committed to inclusion for all and making rooming as flexible as possible for our schools and students. We are continuing to work diligently to be able to offer low-cost, accommodating, and inclusive rooming solutions in our programs.
Advisors are responsible for selecting rooming assignments for their delegation during registration.
Registration Fees
- Student Y Members will be charged $290 per student
- Non-Student Y Members will charged $300 per student
- Adults are not charged a registration fee
Student Rooming Fees
- Shared student rooms of 4 to 5 students
- No additional cost
- All rooms with 4 or more students are designated as "shared"
- Shared student rooms of 3 or fewer students
- Delegations may have up to two shared rooms of 3 or fewer students for no additional fee and not have to share them with other delegations. These two rooms will be designated as "shared", but the rooms will not be shared with another delegation.
- Any shared rooms of 3 or fewer over the two free rooms may also be designated as "shared". In this case, no additional fee is charged, however students of the same gender from another delegation may be assigned to share the room. Note that students from different delegations may not share a bed.
- Private student rooms
- These rooms cannot be shared with another delegation.
- For rooms of 3 or fewer students that are designated as "private", there will be an additional room charge of $139.
Adult rooming fees
- One adult in a private room = $300 per adult
- One adult in a shared room = $155 per adult.
- If you sign up for a shared adult room and only have one adult it in, an adult of the same ex may be assigned to share the room with you.
Advisors will receive a $155 discount for every 15 students registered for their conference.
KYA pricing is all contingent on there being enough rooms at the Crowne Plaza once everyone’s choices are decided. Should there be capacity issues we will work with all involved to find acceptable solutions.
Gender, societal, and interpersonal understandings of gender are evolving, and setting a specific policy about rooming at the conference level is likely to hinder as opposed to helping your efforts to ensure the safety and happiness of your students. Each group will let us know how they are rooming their students according to their local school or organizing structure’s rules.
We will be happy to help or support in any way in dealing with any challenges you may have.
The safety and health of our students is the top priority of our conference, so we ask that advisors please take care in your rooming assignments and make sure there are strong reporting structures in place should any student have a concern or feel uncomfortable. Let us know if we can assist in any way with this.
If you have any rooming or fee questions, please contact Danielle Hall danielle@kyymca.org
KYA Student to Adult Ratio
In order to prioritize allowing students to attend our programming, while ensuring their safety, your delegation must have a minimum of one and a maximum of two adults for the first 25 registered students. For delegation with more than 25 students, you may have one additional adult for every 10 students. The following list will help you to double check that you fill out your intent in a way that fills the minimum requirements and does not exceed the maximum number of adults per student:
| Student to Adult Registration Ration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number of Students | Minimum # of Adults | Maximum # of Adults |
| 1 - 25 | 1 | 2 |
| 26 - 39 | 2 | 3 |
| 40 - 49 | 2 | 4 |
| 50 - 59 | 2 | 5 |
| 60 - 69 | 2 | 6 |
| 70 - 74 | 2 | 7 |
| 75 - 70 | 3 | 7 |
| 80 - 89 | 3 | 8 |
| 90 - 99 | 3 | 9 |
| 100 - 109 | 4 | 10 |
| 120 - 124 | 4 | 12 |
| 125 - 129 | 5 | 12 |
| 130 - 139 | 5 | 13 |
| 140 - 149 | 5 | 14 |
| 150 - 159 | 6 | 15 |
| 160 - 169 | 6 | 16 |
Intent / Registration Timeline and Details
April - August: Submit Your KYA Intent
Outstanding payments will result in your intent being placed on hold until payment has been received by the KY YMCA Youth Association. Your school will also be placed automatically on any specialized program waitlist until payment has been confirmed and received. Submitting intents early, even with having an outstanding payment, places you higher on the waitlist. Please note, if a program fills up prior to payment being received, your school will remain on the waitlist and is not guaranteed participation in the program.
How to Access the Intent Form
Click here to set up an account and/or log in. Be sure to use the email to which you receive communication from KY YMCA.
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- On the left hand navigation menu select KYA
- Below KYA Select Manage Schools
- Once on the KYA Manage Schools page, scroll to the large blue box and select Submit Intent
Intent Form Items of Note
Sessions and Supreme Court Teams Fill Up Fast!
-
- Sessions fill up on a first come, first served basis.
- Supreme Court Team Requests (HS KYA Only) are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If the Supreme Court Teams are filled before you submit your request, your team will be waitlisted and you will be notified by a KY YMCA Staff member.
* Additional special program roles are assigned by the advisor on their registration.
Estimated Numbers Matter
We have a policy of a 15 decrease and 15 increase Person Flex; meaning your intent numbers cannot increase by more than 15 or decrease by more than 15 people during the registration process.
If you realize in the time between hitting submit for your intent and before your registration opens, please reach out to anamarie@kyymca.org to see if we can get additional students into the conference.
We encourage growth within your delegation but want to be sure we can accommodate the number of participants intented for each conference. No guarantee will be made outside of this Person Flex as we book our venue space based on the number of intents.
There is a Strict Student to Adult Ratio
Please note that there must be at least 1 adult per 25 students and no more than 1 adult per 10 students attending the conference. Check out the Student to Adult Registration Ration Chart to clarify and specific numbers above for a detailed breakdown.
Review the KYA 2026 Changes Document
Each year the KYA program continues to grow and change. While we do our best to change as little as possible, what changes that do occur, we want to make you aware of.
July - August: Prepare for KYA Registration
Have anyone who plans to attend fill out required forms
Note for your students' parents: If parents want to fill out forms for their children, the parent should create/login to their own account then fill out the "Request to connect to your child's account" form, which can be found at the bottom of their portal home page.
Warning: No one should use the same device to create an account. Our system has a weird glitch and the accounts will merge together. If someone cannot use a separate device, contact aly@kyymca.org for assistance.
All students, chaperones and volunteers will need to fill out the following forms before you can register your delegation:
-
- Info Form
- Health Form
- KUNA / KYA Code of Conduct
- New for 2026, you can fill out the same form and it can be used for both conference
- Update School Form | only to be filled out if you changed schools or are not assigned to a school
- Need Based Scholarship Application | Optional
- Application deadlines vary by conference session. See deadlines in cart above.
- Student Y Membership | Optional
- This is optional for students to purchase memberships and they can do this directly through the portal or advisors can purchase the memberships and be invoiced)
- Supporting Officer Application | Interested Students
- Information Here
In addition to our KYA Presiding Officers, each program area has Supporting Officers with varying levels of responsibility and time commitment. These positions are either appointed by the Presiding Officers or application-based (student must log in personally to fill this out)
- Information Here
View/Check School Roster
Check to see if students are filling out their forms, purchasing Student Y memberships and being awarded Need Based Scholarships.
If anyone on your roster appears more than once, the accounts must be merged to ensure they get credit for past participation and all data is on the same account. To have accounts merged, send student names to aly@kyymca.org.
Collect Student Fees (NEW INVOICE TIMELINE!)
KY YMCA strongly recommends that advisors collect deposits from students to cover some (or all) of their conference fees prior to registering them. Invoices will be sent out approximately 2 weeks after registration closes. Schools only have 15 days to submit payment after invoice is sent.
Schedule Time for Your Director of Program Outreach to Visit Your School
There are KY YMCA Directors of Program Outreach (DPOs) assigned to every region in Kentucky. DPOs are here to help your delegation prepare for KYA. From teaching the basics of bill writing and debate to going over roles, bills, and presentations, DPOs help you achieve more at KYA. To find and reach out to your DPO, click here.
September: Register, Prepare, and Get Involved
Submit Your Registration
Once you have been notified via email that your KYA Intent has been approved AND registration has opened, Advisors may begin registration through the online portal.
There will be videos and other support available to help you. In addition, your registration saves as you go, so you can complete it over several days.
Before submitting, be sure to save or print any relevant info (rooming, rosters, bills, etc.) In the event there are any technical issues, we may need to you to forward these documents to us.
Schedule a Bill Drafting Workshop
Contact your DPO to schedule an in-person Bill Drafting Workshop for your students. It is recommended that you schedule these sessions as early as possible.
Organize a Voter Registration Drive
Student Y Chapters are provided with resources to run Voter Registration Drives. Running Drives increases your school's chances of winning an award. Contact our Director of Student Y for more information.
Have Presiding Officers Attend Retreat
Details and dates to be announced.
October
Join a Student Y Debate Prep in Your Region
Student Y Chapters and members are encouraged to take advantage of Debate Prep programs held in your region to better prepare students for KYA. Check your Advisor Blast and the Student Y Bulletin for dates and times.
Check That You are Meeting Your Registration Deadlines
Check schedule on chart above for your session’s deadlines. If you are having any technical issues with registration, please contact aly@kyymca.org right away.
Check that Students In Special Roles are Completing Tasks and Meeting Deadlines
Committee Chairs should
-
- Join Google Classroom
- Sign up for Chair Training
KYA Supporting Officers should attend training
Special Programs each have their own deadlines and requirements. Staff members will reach out to students assigned to those roles, but please check in to assure students receive assignments. You should also check the special program pages for more details. Links are in the left navigation menu.
November - December: Pay Invoices, Go to KYA, Get Discount
How and When to Pay Your Invoice
In addition to your KYA Invoice, you may also receive a Student Y Membership invoice if you chose to register your students for this option.
Invoices will be sent out approximately 2 weeks after registration closes. A breakdown of fees for each registered students/adults will be shown in the notes section of the invoice.
Payments are due 15 days from the date the invoice is sent.
Mail Payments to:
Kentucky YMCA Youth Association
91 C. Michael Davenport Blvd
Frankfort, KY 40601
Special Notes About Pricing and Rooming:
KY YMCA is committed to inclusion for all and making rooming as flexible as possible for our schools and students. We are continuing to work diligently to be able to offer low-cost, accommodating, and inclusive rooming solutions in our programs.
- The student program fee is based on a four-person sleeping room. Rooming assignments are under the purview and responsibility of the schools/delegations. Each delegation is allowed two rooms of three students, regardless of gender.
- If additional rooms of three students are requested, you will incur a fee of $139 per additional room.
- Rooms of one or two students will automatically be shared with one to two students from another delegation (they will not share beds with students from another school).
- If these students do not want or your school does not permit them to share a room with another delegation, an additional fee of $139 will be added per room.
- DISCOUNT: For every 15 students registered, advisors will receive $155 off of their registration.
Have a Blast at KYA!
- You made it! Now bring your students to KYA and have some fun!
- Prior to the conference, go to the left navigation menu under Advisor and be sure to check the KYA Resources page for pack lists and much more!
- The week of you conference session, go to the left navigation menu under Assemblies and be sure to check your specific assembly page for officer roles and an electronic copy of the bills. Contact aly@kyymca.org if there are any issues.
Check Your Email for Discounts
All students who attend KYA will receive a discount code that can be used for $10 off of registration fees for our winter leadership retreat: Go For It (GFI).
Held annually over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, GFI is a transformative three-day experience designed to inspire and equip the next generation of servant leaders.
KYA Staff Contacts
- Need Based Scholarships, Refund, Invoice and Rooming: Danielle danielle@kyymca.org
- Intent questions / Waitlist: Anamarie anamarie@kyymca.org
- Technology Issues: Aly aly@kyymca.org
- KYA Prep and Resources: Click this link to select your county's Director of Program Outreach