Frequently Asked Questions

At the YMCA our standard hours of operation are 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.  There are some exceptions so be sure to check the hours of the program you have chosen.

Please ensure all of your child’s belongings are clearly labeled with their name. You will need to supply:

Infant/Toddler:

• Complete change of clothing
• Seasonal outdoor clothing
• Lightweight and breathable blanket for rest time
• Diapers and wipes
• Bottles/sippy cups
• Formula or expressed milk if your child has not transitioned to homogenized milk.

Preschool

• Complete change of clothing
• Seasonal outdoor clothing
• Blanket for rest time

If your child shows symptoms of ill health, such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea, your child will not be admitted to care.  In the case of discharge from eyes or ears and rashes deemed suspicious by staff, a physician’s note may be required stating the nature of the illness.  If your child develops symptoms of ill health while in our care, we will contact you to make arrangements to have your child picked up. In order for children to attend care they must be well enough to go outside and participate in all aspects of the program.  Exclusion periods vary per illness; the YMCA follows the local Health Unit’s recommendations for length of exclusion.

Fees for licensed YMCA Child Care Programs can vary depending on the age of your children, the program you select and the centre you plan to attend.

The Children’s Services Division of the County of Simcoe, the District of Muskoka and the District of Parry Sound provides child care subsidies to eligible families. The YMCA has secured purchase of service agreements allowing children to attend YMCA Child Care programs with the aid of subsidies. In order to apply for the subsidies, parents/guardians must be working, attending school or fulfilling a participation agreement with Ontario Works.

To Apply for Child Care Fee Assistance, Please Contact:
County of Simcoe: 705-722-3132
District of Parry Sound: 705-746-7777
District of Muskoka: 705-645-2412

At the YMCA, we base our costs on the number of children enrolled in our programs. As such, we cannot offer refunds if your child misses days due to an illness, vacation, or other absence.

At the YMCA, our focus is on helping children develop five core values: Respect, Responsibility, Inclusiveness, Caring, , and Honesty.

We integrate these values into our Centres’ everyday actions and activities. By doing this, our aim is to provide your children with opportunities to discover themselves, develop social and recreational skills, and strengthen their self-esteem. By teaching increased responsibility, our school age curriculum helps children put their values into action to become strong leaders and strong citizens. At the same time, our program encourages children to demonstrate caring and support for others, regardless of their background or life experiences.

YMCA staff must adhere to a number of policies and practices including the YMCA Program Statement as well as Ministry, Fire and Health regulations.  Annual review of these policies and procedures ensure our staff are knowledgeable and prepared to handle situations.  All of our staff have Criminal Record Checks with Vulnerable Sector Screening and hold current certification in Standard First Aid and Infant/Child CPR.    The College of Early Childhood Educators is the professional self regulatory body for Early Childhood Educators in Ontario.  The College mandate is to protect the public interest of early childhood education.  YMCA staff with an Early Childhood Education Diploma must hold a current, clear membership with the College.

In order to staff appropriately we must know the exact days your child will be attending.  Full time participants are given priority.  Should there be an insufficient number of full time participants then part time care will be offered to fill the available spaces.  The minimum commitment of part time families is 1 day per week.  Part time families will be offered the first right of refusal should another participant wishes to full the available full time space.

We strive to minimize the risk of exposure to peanuts and treenuts to the children in our care. We neither use nuts in our meal preparation or allow children to bring snacks containing nuts into our centres.

We strive to minimize the risk of exposure to known allergens to the children in our care. We can work within the menu and nutritional guidelines to come to an alternative meal plan.

If the program is operating at capacity the child care request form will be added to the centres’ waiting list.  There is no fee for a family to be placed on our waiting list.  Available child care spaces are to be filled by families on the waiting list according to the request dates.  Priority will be given to families wishing to register their child in a full time space, families transferring from other YMCA child care centres, YMCA staff or siblings who are already registered will have priority for the next available waiting list space.

Yes, the YMCA provides tax receipts. Families will be emailed to confirm how they can receive their tax receipts. For families looking for prior-year tax receipts, please contact our Community Care team at hello@sm.ymca.ca to submit a request.