Children shine brightest when they play and learn – together.
The YMCA is the largest not-for-profit Child Care provider in Canada. With 50+ years of experience, we provide high-quality programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children. Our carefully trained Registered Early Childhood Educators partner with parents to support each child’s development and provide families with the security of knowing their child is in a safe and nurturing environment during these formative years.
Inquire NowNothing is more important to us than the safety of your children and our staff.
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We will continue to deliver our YMCA Playing to Learn™ and YMCA A Place to Connect™ play-based curriculum in our centers. Some adjustments will be made to support physical distancing.
Our adapted program will continue to offer the highest-quality care for preschool and school-aged children. Our Registered Early Childhood Educators will partner with parents to support each child’s development.
Here to help your little one discover the world through play and imagination, our YMCA curricula offer kids an opportunity to develop their confidence, self-direction and self-regulation. Using play as the primary learning medium, children are introduced to literacy, numeracy, arts, science, and more.
Download the Parent Handbook, ages 0 to 5Check out the fun programs the Y has for children ages 4-12 from April 12-16.
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This summer, shine a light on fun, friendship, and adventure! The Y offers a variety of programs to keeps kids busy, including Full-day Licensed Child Care.
Enjoy Early Bird Savings when you register before March 31.
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YMCA Family Support programs bring parents, children, caregivers and entire families together.
Learn MoreCommunication is key during this time. We share information about our programs, procedures, policy changes, registration information, and tax receipts with families primarily through email. Please ensure the email address we have on file for you is up to date. You can update your contact information at any time by completing a Registration Change Request Form.
Please note: Changes can take up to 10 days for processing. We encourage you to prevent communications from going to your spam folder by adding the YMCA of Greater Toronto to your Safe Sender list.
While YMCA Before & After School programs are closed, free emergency child care will be available to school-aged children whose parents/guardians qualify as essential workers. To confirm if you qualify, please review the list of eligible workers.
To Register:
Peel Region
If your child(ren) are currently enrolled in a YMCA Before & After School program in Peel Region you can register for emergency child care by emailing YMCAEmergencyCCROP@YMCAGTA.ORG.
If you are not currently enrolled in YMCA Before & After School program please visit Peel Region Child Care.
Halton Region
Email jen.marchand@ymcagta.org.
Dufferin County
Visit: Dufferin County Emergency Child Care.
York Region
Visit: York Region Emergency Child Care.
Durham Region
Visit Durham Region Emergency Child Care.
Toronto
Visit Toronto Emergency Child Care.
YMCA Child Care centres began reopening on July 6, 2020.
We are holding our child care fees at this time to the same rates as prior to the closure of our programs on March 16, 2020.
Yes. Beginning September 1, 2020, our child care programs have been operating at full capacity. This means all programs now have the same number of available spaces that existed in March. Even though our capacity restrictions have let up, our strict safety measures have not. To learn more about the YMCA’s revised health and safety measures, please see our YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook Guidelines for COVID-19 document or watch this short video.
As of September 1, 2020, child care and Before & After School programs have been operating at full licensed capacity.
| # | Category | Age range | Staff:Child Ratio | Maximum number of children per group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Infant | Younger than 18 months | 1 to 3 | 10 |
| 2 | Toddler | 18 months or older but younger than 30 months | 1 to 5 | 15 |
| 3 | Preschool | 30 months or older but younger than 6 years | 1 to 8 | 24 |
| 4 | Kindergarten | 44 months or older but younger than 7 years | 1 to 13 | 26 |
| 5 | Primary/junior school age | 68 months or older but younger than 13 years | 1 to 15 | 30 |
| 6 | Junior school age | 9 years or older but younger than 13 years | 1 to 20 | 20 |
New health and safety measures for child care operators have been outlined in the Ministry of Education’s Operational Guidance during COVID-19 document in consultation with local public health units. To learn more about the YMCA’s revised health and safety measures please see the YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook for COVID-19 or watch this short video.
Before entering a centre, all children and staff are asked questions provided by Public Health that are designed to screen for illness. Screening practices in place at each program are based on the local Public Health unit recommendations.
As of September 1, 2020, all YMCA child care staff are required to wear a mask and face shield or goggles while indoors. Masks and face shields or goggles are not required when eating, during physical activity, or outdoors if physical distancing of 2-meters can be maintained between individuals.
The wearing of medical-grade face masks in child care centres is mandated by the Ministry of Health and Regional Public Health experts. It is not ideal in terms of language development, but the health and safety of children and staff is our first priority. Our child care workers are creative, caring professionals who will ensure high quality programming under these restrictions.
Not at this time. The medical-grade face masks our staff are mandated to wear are issued by the Ministry of Education.
The wearing of non-medical or cloth face masks is currently NOT required:
The wearing non-medical or cloth face masks IS currently required:
Non-medical or cloth masks are not required outdoors if physical distancing of 2-meters can be maintained between individuals.
YMCA Child Care programs follow the safety regulations of the schools they take place in.
Parents/guardians are responsible for providing their school-aged child(ren) with masks.
As regulations continues to evolve, the YMCA will follow the guidance of local public health units, the Ministry of Education, and local school board guidelines (for Before & After School operators). As their safety protocols evolve, so will the measures we take at our centres.
A core principle of our two curricula, YMCA Playing to Learn and YMCA A Place to Connect, is learning in small groups. Children in our programs are placed into small groups and will remain within the same group, and with the same staff member, throughout the day. In addition, our curricula has been updated to place an emphasis on increasing programming time outdoors. To learn more about the YMCA’s revised health and safety measures please see our YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook for COVID-19 or watch this short video.
All shared rooms and equipment are thoroughly cleaned between and after use. Cleaning will take place during the transition between the core school day and Before & After School program. Toys and small equipment are not shared between the core school day students and Before & After School program.
Yes. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, children in the Before & After School program are with the same children and staff, and in the same classroom, every day. As the Before & After School program brings together students from different grades, program cohorts will include children from different core day cohorts within the same school.
All YMCA Before & After School programs follow the health and safety measures outlined in the Ministry Or Education’s Before and After School Programs Kindergarten – Grade 6 Policies and Guidelines in consultation with local public health units. To learn more about the YMCA’s revised health and safety measures please see the YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook for COVID-19.
Yes, the YMCA will be operating programs for children from March 15 to 19. Conveniently located in schools and YMCA centres across the GTA, our camp and licensed full day child care programs will provide great group experiences in safety-enhanced environments. A full list of programs and registration information will be available beginning January 11, 2021.
Registration for March Break programming begins January 18, 2021. A full list of programs and registration information will be available beginning January 11, 2021.
EarlyON locations began reopening doors and welcoming back families starting October 5, 2020. These free programs are funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and are available on a registered basis. Drop-in programs will not be offered until further notice. Contact EarlyON to learn about programs in Durham and York region. Please note, services may be required to change in accordance with public health and safety measures.
The YMCA Before and After School programs will be closed during the week of January 4-8, 2021 in accordance with the Safer at Home Restrictions effective December 26, 2021. As a result, the Child Care fees for before and after school programs will be credited for the week of January 4-8 , 2021 and applied to future months scheduled payments. Fee payments for Full Day Child Care programs will be processed as scheduled as Full Day Child Care was not affected by this announcement.
Registration changes can be made by completing our change of request form by visiting https://ymcagta.org/child-care/registration-change-request-form.
We would be happy to add your child to a centre’s waitlist and will contact you once a spot becomes available. To be placed on a waitlist, contact the Program Supervisor of the centre you wish to attend or email a request to csac@ymcagta.org.
Unfortunately we are no longer holding child care spaces. If you wish to keep an active registration, you will be required to pay 100% of your child care fees whether or not your child attends.
Yes. Notice of the August 21, 2020 deadline to confirm or decline children’s return to care in September was sent to all families for whom the YMCA was holding spaces since March 13, 2020. The notice was sent via email on August 7, 2020 and a reminder was sent on August 19, 2020. In addition, a notice was included in the August 10 and 17 editions of the YMCA child care newsletter sent to all registered families. If you did not receive these messages, please update your email address on file to ensure you are receiving communications from the YMCA. Obtain a change of request form by visiting https://ymcagta.org/child-care/registration-change-request-form.
Child care fees will be adjusted accordingly for up to 5 days of absence due to COVID-19 symptoms. Fee credits will be applied to future monthly child care monthly fees. Please refer to our Absence from Care Procedure in the our YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook Guidelines for COVID-19 document
Child care fees will be adjusted accordingly for the period of exclusion up to 14 days, determined by Public Health, for absences due to isolation related to a program or centre closure due to close contact with a positive case of COVID-19. Fee credits will be applied to future monthly child care monthly fees. Please refer to our Absence from Care Procedure in the our YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook Guidelines for COVID-19 document
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