YMCA looks forward to before and after school program partnerships

YMCA of North Bay
News Release

**********************

YMCA of North Bay applauds the government’s decision to permit partnerships between school boards and child care organizations in the delivery of before and after school care as part of the new full-day kindergarten program.

“We have been strong supporters of the government’s ground breaking full day learning program. Allowing school boards to partner with organizations such as the YMCAs will ensure many more children receive an integrated, curriculum-based, before and after school program to better meet the local needs of Ontario families,” said Jacqueline Grube, YMCA, Senior Manager, for Children’s Services. “Hundreds of our programs currently operate in schools. The model is already working; it’s cost effective and can be scaled up quickly”.

The YMCA is Ontario's largest not-for-profit early learning and child care provider for children from infancy to age 12, with more than 38,000 children involved in licensed programs. We have been offering high-quality, curriculum-based early learning and care for over 40 years in local communities of all shapes and sizes.

“This is great news for children and families across Ontario. We applaud the government’s decision to allow our sector to continue working in partnership with schools to ensure the success of the government’s goal of a seamless full day learning program.”

The YMCAs in Ontario currently work with 50 school boards across the province to offer a range of early learning and care programs including over 300 licensed pre-school child care programs and 500 licensed school-age before and after-school programs.

In the Nipissing and Parry Sound district we have partnerships with the Near North District School Board, Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario and the Nipissing –Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. We value and respect our current partnerships and are grateful for the opportunity to continue our role in providing the best possible care for children and their families.

**********************