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YMCA Okanagan offers care for children of essential service workers

Priority will be given to children aged 5 to 12 years old
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Childcare will be provided between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Contributed)

The YMCA of the Okanagan announced it will be offering licensed out-of-school care for children whose parents are working in essential services in Kelowna.

The priority will be given to children from five to 12 years old whose parents or guardians are working in positions identified in the top three tiers of COVID-19 essential services in B.C. These include those working as healthcare workers, first responders, food and agriculture providers and more.

“Our goal is to provide child care between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays to those who need it most during the COVID pandemic,” said Danielle Miranda, YMCA child care general manager.

“We are here to support our community and essential services employees, providing caring and committed staff who are eager to work, along with safe spaces for children to learn, be active and thrive.”

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The YMCA of the Okanagan is closely following recommendations from local and provincial health officials to take the right precautions and deliver appropriate child care services at this time. These measures include reducing teacher to child ratios by half and restructuring activities and play areas to ensure proper social spacing is in place.

Parents and children will also be screened prior to drop off and adults and children in care are extra diligent in following proper handwashing and hygiene practices.

To determine if you are eligible, parents or guardians of school-aged children five to 12 years old are asked to complete a quick survey, which can be found at ymcaokanagan.ca/EssentialCare.

Weekly registration is available for $210 per week. You will be contacted as soon as possible following the completion of the survey. For immediate questions and inquiries, please contact 250-491-8678 orchildcare@ymcaokanagan.ca.

READ MORE: YMCA Okanagan cancels Healthy Kids Day due to COVID-19 concerns


Daniel Taylor
Reporter, Kelowna Capital News
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