YMCA of Eastern Ontario

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News Release: YMCA Ready to Open Childcare

YMCA of Eastern Ontario Ready to Open Childcare

Brockville and Kingston, ON – Following the announcement from the Province of Ontario regarding the opening of Ontario’s daycares, the YMCA of Eastern Ontario has been busy planning its re-open date with the new provisions for health and safety.

“We will be opening our childcare centres on July 6 with safety of children and staff at the forefront,” said Rob Adams, CEO of the YMCA of Eastern Ontario. “We have taken the time necessary to plan our re-opening properly and to ensure that our staff are trained using the new protocols. We have been able to use the experience we gained by running an emergency childcare center in our planning.”

Under the new provincial restrictions, each licenced area within is limited to 10 persons, including childcare staff. This will limit the number of spaces available for children, but allows for safe physical distancing.

In addition to opening childcare, the YMCA will be offering licenced summer childcare based on the the availability of schools.

“We have been working with the school boards to identify which schools will be available to us and over which periods,” said Jill MacDonald, director, operations childcare. “Different school boards will have their own needs for getting ready for September classes meaning that our summer childcare may run over different weeks at different locations. We need to be flexible and to offer what we can to help families out over the summer.”

Childcare staff have been contacting families to identify childcare needs following a survey that was sent to the Y’s childcare families.

“We are getting our centres ready and will be very happy to welcome children back to the Y,” said Adams. “As soon as we have more information from the school boards, we will let everyone know when our summer care will begin. We hope it will be as early as July 13.”

About the YMCA of Eastern Ontario

The YMCA of Eastern Ontario is a charity that provides programs and services to improve health and health outcomes, develops leaders, helps build social connections and provide safe, inclusive spaces for people of all ages. The Y is Canada’s largest provider of childcare with trademarked curricula and offers fitness and other programs including SCUBA, Karate and Total Life Care – specialized programming for individuals with chronic conditions.

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For information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Colleen Gareau

Director, Marketing and Communications

colleen.gareau@eo.ymca.ca

613-888-9298