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 returned to full licensed capacity.

New health and safety measures for child care operators have been outlined in the Ministry Of Education’s Child Care Re-Opening 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.

All children and staff will be asked questions provided by Public Health that are designed to screen for illness. Screening processes in place at each program will be 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 while indoors. Masks and face shields 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:

• For children in our full-day care programs
• For children, kindergarten to grade 3, in our Before & After School programs (unless they are mandatory for that age group in the school where the program takes place)

The wearing non-medical or cloth face masks IS currently required:

• For children, grade 4 and above, in our Before & After School programs
• For children, kindergarten to grade 3, in our Before & After School programs that take place in school where masks are mandatory for that age group

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 will be 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 will not be 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.

Supervisors from the Child Care and Before & After School programs will be reaching out to families beginning the week of August 31, 2020 to share details in regards to your child’s return to care in September.

Yes! Our educators will continue to provide free, fun programming for families online. You can find the full schedule here.

Yes, the YMCA Camp team has several programs available for children and families this fall. Visit our YMCA Camps page for information on programs and how to register.

EarlyON locations will begin 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.

Registration changes can be made by completing our change of request form by visiting https://ymcagta.org/child-care/registration-change-request-form.

Due to the staggered school start dates, child care fees for September will be adjusted accordingly and credits will be applied to future monthly child care fees.

Due to space limitations at this time, the YMCA will not be able to provide a full day program for school age children whose school start date has been delayed. September fees will be adjusted to reflect delayed start dates and future monthly child care fees credited.

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.

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.

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