Full-day licensed programs for kindergarten and school age children are also available this summer.
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 NowGood news! Our child care programs will be operating at full capacity beginning in September! This means all our programs will have the same number of available spaces that existed in March. More child care spaces means more laughter and smiles back in YMCA centres.
Families registered in YMCA Child Care were sent information on how to express their interest in having their children return to care. If you did not receive this information, contact csac@ymcagta.org immediately.
If you did not express interest but now wish for your child(ren) to return, please directly contact the YMCA child care centre where you are registered. They will be happy to guide you through the process.
Revised maximum group sizes
Ontario child care programs will be permitted to operate at full capacity beginning September 1, 2020. Until then, we are aiming to accommodate all families who wish to join YMCA child care. The Ministry of Education’s Operational Guidelines during COVID-19, however, limits the maximum group size per cohort to 15. As a result, we currently have limited capacity in our centres.
We are using Priority Placement Guidelines to equitably distribute our available child care spaces. The principles included ensuring that, as we review applications, we are considering the same percentage of fee-assisted families, children with special needs, and families that have multiple children registered.
Read Priority Placement GuidelinesFamily Support Programs
Early ON, Play ON, Durham Supervised Access, Family Community Action Program, and Student Nutrition programs will remain temporarily closed until further notice. Since their closure, our staff have stepped up to support our communities by:
Nothing is more important than the safety of your children and our staff. YMCA Child Care Guidelines for COVID-19 are approved by the Ministry of Education Child Care and Early Years Licensing Branch and local Public Health units, and follow the most current recommendations provided by the Ministry of Health. All YMCA child care staff are trained to implement measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Safety measures in all of our child care centres include:
Watch to learn more about our new safety measures.
Get more information about our updated policies and procedures by downloading our safety guidelines.
Get The Guide
“We have an extra staff member just to disinfect the toys and blankets.” YMCA Early Childhood Educator Denise Shepherd gave Toronto Life an inside look at our new health and safety standards.
Read The ArticleWe 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 5 (PDF)Licensed child care for kids ages 4 to 12 available across the GTA.
Through our YMCA A Place to Connect™ curriculum, your children will spend the summer participating in sports, arts and crafts, and themed event days that develop important life skills like leadership and team building, all in a licensed child care setting.
For your child(ren) to be considered for a Full Day Summer Program, please:
Communication 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.
YMCA Child Care centres began reopening on July 6, 2020.
Yes. As per the Ministry of Education’s Operational Guidance during COVID-19 document, maximum group size per cohort is 15. Beginning September 1, 2020, our child care programs will be permitted to operate at full capacity again. This means all programs will have the same number of available spaces that existed in March.
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 our YMCA Child Care Revised Parent Handbook Guidelines for COVID-19 document or watch this short video.
Please email csac@ymcagta.org with your request to have your child(ren) return to full day child care now or if you are interested in registering your child(ren) in a full day summer program. Spaces are limited due to new maximum group sizes. If response rates are higher than current space available, priority placement principles will be considered. Please note that child care spaces will no longer be held after September 8, 2020.
For locations that receive a higher response rate from families to return to care than there are spaces, Child Care Supervisors will use priority placement guidelines developed in reference to the Ministry of Education’s Operational Guidance during COVID-19 document to make decisions.
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.
Your spot will be on hold for you until September 8, 2020. After that date, child care spots will no longer be held. Information has been sent to all families we are currently holding spots for, asking them to confirm or decline their child’s return to care by August 21, 2020. If you did not receive this message, please contact us immediately. Also, please update your email address on file to ensure you are receiving communications from the YMCA. Click here to obtain a registration change request form.
During this time the YMCA recommends providing 10 days notice of withdrawal and will continue to waive withdrawal fees for notices. Withdrawal notices can be submitted online by completing our registration change request form
Yes, YMCA Day Camp programs are available this summer. Information on our programs and how to register can be found by visiting the YMCA Day Camp page.
Yes, we are offering full day licensed summer programs at our current Child Care and Before & After school locations. Spaces will be are limited due to restrictions on maximum group sizes.
We are currently waiting for the Ministry of Education to confirm plans for the safe reopening of schools this fall. For now, we can reassure you that we will keep your September registration and payments on hold until we have more information from local school boards on what the safe reopening of schools will look like. We expect to have more information to share with you in August.
Your spot will be on hold for you until September 8, 2020. After that, vacant child care spots will be offered to waitlisted families. If you wish to keep your registration active after September 8, you will be required to pay 100% of your child care fees whether or not your child attends.
Yes! We would be happy to add your child to their centre’s waitlist and will contact you once a spot becomes available. Please contact your centre directly and they can arrange this.
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