September 2024 may seem like a long way off, but when there’s a 35% shortage of childcare, many parents are already planning years ahead to find their children care. The Green County Family YMCA is excited to announce that registration for the Green County Family YMCA’s new Childcare Center opens Monday, March 6th. For those families currently struggling to find quality, affordable childcare, this might come as a huge relief.
Amanda Meighan who will become the Y’s new Director of Child Development remarked: “Words cannot describe how ecstatic I am that we will now be able to offer quality childcare at the Green County Family YMCA for 86 more children in our community! We have lived in a childcare desert for far too long!”
Groundbreaking on the new facility is scheduled for this summer. The construction of this new Childcare Center is a project being supported, in part, by federal award number SLFRP0135 awarded to the Green County Family YMCA via the Wisconsin Workforce Innovation Grant Program by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in December 2021.
Darci Wilson, a mother with a preschooler remarked: “Childcare options are an issue for many families in our area and with the opening of the new childcare center the YMCA is part of the solution. Affordable quality childcare makes our community more desirable for young families to come and make Monroe their hometown.”
The Childcare Center has been designed to serve up to 86 children across 7 different state-of-the-art classrooms:
- 6 Weeks Old – 1 Year = 8 children
- 1 Year Olds = 8 children
- 2 Year Olds = 12 children
- 3 Year Olds = 16 children
- 3-4 Year Olds = 16 children
- 2 x 4K Preschool Classrooms = 13 Children
Children in the Y’s Childcare Center will have direct access to an outdoor playground and enjoy swimming & gymnastics lessons starting at age 3. Each registration requires a $100 non-refundable, nontransferable deposit. These registrations will help ensure the YMCA has adequate time to hire enough staff for the new Center. Each classroom will include both a lead teacher and an assistant.
Olivia Otte, Executive Director of Green County Development Corporation stated: “There is a growing awareness of the links between access to childcare, parental employment, and overall economic growth. Businesses rely on employees and employees rely on childcare. The opening of the YMCA childcare facility will have a direct impact on Green County’s ability to grow and prosper in the future. This facility will allow our county to attract a young and diverse workforce. We are thrilled that the YMCA has taken a holistic approach to enhance our community.”
Carah Cropper, a mother with a young child in YMCA programs remarked: “Being able to rely on the care and compassion that the YMCA offers is a relief for our family. More families being able to access outstanding childcare is vital for our community, and this new center will do that!”
YMCAs are one of the largest providers of childcare in the United States. The Green County Family YMCA is excited to be one of those providers. Meighan stated: “By providing high quality childcare, children will develop long-lasting social and emotional skills, helping them build confidence and also giving them a head start at academic success.”
Registration for the new Childcare Center can be done online or by calling 608-325-2003 and is based on how old the child will be on September 1, 2024. To learn more about the Childcare Center that will be opening September 2024, visit www.greencountyymca.org/childcare.