For many area parents, a new school year also means having to plan for before and after school child care. For families with students in kindergarten through sixth grade, the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley offers such programs, including several provided directly at school locations.

When students attend the program at the Y’s main branches in Oneida and Rome, transportation is provided to and from the child’s school by the local school districts.

The Y-Care Before and After School Program is available in the following locations and times:

• Oneida City School District students at the Oneida YMCA, 7 a.m. until the start of the school day and from 3 to 6 p.m.;
• Rome’s Denti and John Joy Elementary Schools and the Rome YMCA, 7 a.m. until the start of the school day and from 3 to 6 p.m.;
• Tree House Trinity Church for Whitesboro students, 7 a.m. until the start of school day and from 3 to 6 p.m.;
• Sherrill’s E.A. McAllister Elementary School for all Vernon-Verona-Sherrill elementary students, 7 a.m. until the start of school day and 3 to 6 p.m.; and
• New York Mills Elementary School, afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. only.

Students may register for before school, after school or both. Financial assistance is available. To register, download and print a registration form for each student at www.ymcatrivalley.com and return the completed form to your child’s respective Y-Care location (Rome or Oneida branch) or contact your YMCA branch for more information. 

Enrollment in the program also includes early dismissal days (at the student’s school or at the YMCA, depending on the district). Snow days and single vacation/superintendent’s conference days are also included in the program and are held at the YMCA branches (if the program serves the area that has the snow/single vacation day).

“Our programs follow the YMCA of the USA’s nationally recognized curriculum and are licensed by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services,” said Holly Panebianco, YMCA regional childcare director. “In addition to homework assistance, we offer age-appropriate literacy, social studies and arts and humanities curriculum, weekly STEM activities, social/emotional literacy, health/wellness/fitness activities, music and a monthly service learning project.”

The children are encouraged to become leaders and to assist with lesson plans and enrichment activities.

Breakfast is available through the school’s breakfast program. A healthy afternoon snack is provided according to Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines.

“The program’s 1:10 staff to child ratio (with a limit of 20 participants in each group) allows us to focus on providing each child with the socialization and enrichment activities they need in a safe and sanitized environment, per the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines,” Panebianco added.

Each site has a site director qualified in child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation or a related field and has two years experience in supervising children under 13 years of age and 1 year of experience supervising adults in a child care or similar setting, according to the YMCA announcement. The program sites also employ site supervisors, assistants and group teachers. 

“Our four core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility are essential parts of all of our programs,” Panebianco said. “We value the unique personalities and potential of every child.”

Y-Care offers curriculum-based, year-round New York State licensed childcare programs.