YMCA lands childcare programs
SD76 awards 11 of its before-and-after school programs to the well-known local organization
The YMCA of Medicine Hat has been awarded the contract to take over operation of 11 before- and after school programs this fall.
“We’re professionals in the childcare field, so from a quality point of view, parents should expect excellent service and they will get that,” said Sharon Hayward, CEO of Medicine Hat YMCA. “We have a nationally developed curriculum that we use. Our staff undergoes training that’s over and above what’s required by provincial licensing standards, so the service that the parents will get will be top notch.”
Until now, these programs were managed independently by each school, said SD 76 superintendent Mark Davidson, with administration having to oversee accreditation, licensing and programming.
“And all of those have a level of bureaucracy which is pretty significant,” he said, and separate from their core mandate under the Education Act.
“We wanted to make sure that the service was still available while making sure that our school administration were able to focus on teaching and learning and taking care of their school.”
That the YMCA is local, nonprofit, committed to accrediting the programs and has a history of positive partnership with SD 76 are part of why it was selected out of all proposals to the board, said Davidson.
Hayward said it’s going to be a lot of work between now and September.
“We have a lot of program development and planning to do ... step one for us it to staff up. We have some key management positions and director level positions that we need to get filled soon. And from there we have to work with the local licensing office to get each site up and licensed. And once we have the staff in place, they will help us get the other details arranged.”
Current staff won’t automatically be transferred over, said Hayward, as there will be a competitive hiring process — but she added it’s in the program’s best interests to have continuity.
YMCA will be standardizing the program fee. For students attending on a regular, scheduled basis, this will be $5/hour. For those coming on a drop-in basis, it will be $6/hour.
“The schedules can change, the schedules can be flexible, but as long as the site knows the hours the child needs care in advance, then it’s considered to be a regular scheduled attendance,” said Hayward.
“Keeping costs as low as possible for families was an important part of the request for proposal we put out. The YMCA met that expectation of committing to keep costs low, and as a non-profit we have faith in that,” said Davidson.
The hours currently in place at each site will remain, said Hayward, while Elm Street School’s after school program will remain running through the North Flats Community Association.
Other details — such as registration — are still being worked on, and the YMCA will be working to ensure parents are kept informed.
“We’re working very closely with the school division to make sure we cover all our bases and make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Four sites are currently at an “accredited” level, meaning they qualify for a wage top-up subsidy from the province.
Hayward says the YMCA will have applications within the month and expect the whole process to take about a year to get all sites accredited this way.