YMCA doubles daycare spots in wake of full-day kindergarten
YMCA child care spots double in GTA to almost 20,000 in wake of full-day kindergarten.

TheStar.com
June 23, 2014
Laurie Monsebraaten

The largest non-profit daycare operator in the Greater Toronto Area has almost doubled its child-care services since the introduction of full-day kindergarten in 2010.

By September, the YMCA of Greater Toronto will be providing almost 20,000 licensed spaces for children from birth to age 12 in 282 centres across the region, the agency says.

The lion’s share of the new spaces — about 4,600 — are for 4- and 5-year-olds in provincially mandated before- and after-school programs serving full-day kindergarten. But the Y has also boosted spaces for severely underserved infants and toddlers by almost 800.

“Our child care expansion is responding to the changing needs of parents and to meet the growing and diverse needs of the communities we serve in the GTA,” said board chair Tim Penner.

Among the 21 YMCA child-care centres adding infant and toddler care this year are nine centres in Peel that were previously operated by the regional government.

Those centres were among 12 municipal daycares closed in a controversial 2012 decision that was widely criticized as a loss of high quality care and a blow to area families.

But most observers are pleased nine centres were transferred to the YMCA and that two others have been picked up by well-respected non-profit agencies, Family Day Care Services and PLASP Child Care Services. Just one centre closed, but all the families were accommodated in other sites, officials said.

Under the transition, all of the former municipal centres are offering infant care for the first time.

“We are extremely pleased that such a high-quality, non-profit provider as the YMCA has been able to take over so many of our sites,” said Peel human services commissioner Janet Menard. “What I have learned through all of this is just how professional and how skilled our community partners are in what they do.”

The move has allowed Peel to pump $12.7 million back into the region’s child-care system, Menard said. Combined with new funding from the province’s $242-million stabilization fund, the region has been able to eliminate its 4,300 child-care subsidy waiting list and extend its subsidies to almost 13,000 children in 7,400 families, exceeding its target by almost 1,000, Menard said.

The YMCA’s expansion is also good news in the city of Toronto, where the agency is adding 423 new spaces, including 125 for infants and toddlers this year.

“One of the benefits of full-day kindergarten is that we have been able to realize an increase in spaces for infants and toddlers as vacated (preschool) rooms have been reconfigured,” said Elaine Baxter-Trahair, general manager of Toronto children’s services.

In York Region, the YMCA is adding 301 new spaces this year, including 30 for toddlers.

First-time mother Kyla Sherrard, 30, can’t believe how lucky she was to find a spot for her 14-month-old daughter, Cali, in the Y’s new centre at Vaughan City Hall.

“When I see the things that Cali is creating at daycare, it’s amazing,” said Sherrard, who returned to her job as the city cashier in April.

“She seems to have so much fun. The (daycare staff) seem to have so much fun with her. It’s been absolutely lovely,” she said.

Knowing Cali is in a high-quality, licensed centre so close to her work, gives her huge peace of mind, Sherrard added.

“Parents everywhere need something like this,” she said.

Andrea Calver of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said the YMCA’s expansion — and the growth of spaces generally due to full-day kindergarten — is good news.

“This is a bit of a sign of hope that investing in child care really does result in measurable improvements,” she said.

“But after this three-year period of stabilization and enhancement is over, we need a further plan to continue investing in child care so we can continue to see these really positive developments.”