Frequently Asked Questions | Before & After-School Care
Frequently Asked Questions about After-School Care
Below, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions that have come up as the Y has worked to design the before and after-school child care program. If you still have questions, please contact us.
What are the qualifications for child care staff?
Our staff meet state licensing standards, are 18 years and older, have experience working with children, possess excellent character and obtain 30-40 hours of training prior to starting their role. Many of our employees are on an educational track to work with children as their career path, but a teaching license is not required.
What activities will the Y provide?
The Y will offer daily enrichment activities, including STEM, music, art, active games and more!
COVID-19 Safety
We will do everything possible to create a safe environment for the children in our programs and hope you understand that not all risks can be mitigated even with safety protocol in place. Please ensure you have a back-up plan in place for care should the Y need to temporarily close any program sites or locations to safely respond to a positive case report.
Daily Health Screenings
Families should conduct daily home-based monitoring of symptoms before drop off/check-in and keep children home if symptomatic. Children and Staff will not be permitted if they are showing any of the following symptoms:
- Fever (temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)
- Chills
- Shortness of breathing/difficulty breathing
- New cough
- New loss of taste or smell
Face Coverings
Per the CDC, when community levels are low face masks should be worn based on personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk
Cleaning & Disinfecting
We have developed extensive cleaning protocols our staff will follow throughout the day.
- Cleaning occurs before we open
- Before and after each activity (including mealtime)
- Extensive sanitizing/disinfecting at closing.
This protocol also meets our state licensing requirements and we are following cleaning recommendations by the CDC.
What if there's a positive COVID-19 case at my YMCA?
If there is a report of a positive COVID-19 case at a care location, the Y will launch our safety protocol in partnership with the state Department of Health, including:
- Notify members and participants about the positive case report
- Deeply clean and sanitize the location (beyond regular cleaning protocols)
- Work with the Department of Health to determine the risk to staff, members and participants
- With any level of exposure risk to participants, the Y will notify families with recommended actions
We will do everything possible to create a safe environment for the children in our programs and hope you understand that not all risks can be mitigated even with safety protocol in place. Please ensure you have a back-up plan in place for care should the Y need to temporarily close any program sites or locations to safely respond to a positive case report.
Refund & Cancellations
In the event families need to cancel due to COVID-19, the Y is happy to refund any and all deposits, registration fees and weekly tuition paid.