Need childcare? YMCA plans to add downtown Olympia to its array of Thurston sites
South Sound YMCA is set to open a new childcare location in downtown Olympia this fall, one of several locations the organization plans to operate to help area families during the pandemic.
The YMCA is opening what it calls “enhanced learning academies,” including downtown, which will supervise elementary school children, kindergarten through 5th grade, as they do their distance learning with the school they attend.
The program and parents’ need for childcare became more urgent after the Thurston County health officer recommended last month that schools not reopen this fall because of rising cases of COVID-19. Area school districts followed suit and announced they would start the year with remote learning. North Thurston Public Schools, for example, put its hybrid plan on hold.
But that doesn’t mean that every working parent can stay home with their children.
“This is one of the things that keeps me up at night,” Thurston Economic Development Council Executive Director Michael Cade recently told Lacey City Council. “Childcare is in crisis as we move through the (COVID-19 reopening) phases.”
Childcare serves social and emotional needs, but also economic needs, said Kyle Cronk, president and chief executive of South Sound YMCA on Wednesday. “Without childcare, your economy does not function.”
The South Sound YMCA website explains the goals of the fall programming:
▪ Support children in attending online classes during the day.
▪ Provide direct instruction in reading, writing, and math.
▪ Offer homework help and individual tutoring as required.
▪ Foster social development with peers through imaginative play and games.
▪ Stimulate creativity through art and self-expression.
▪ Work closely with school districts as the year progresses, to meet student needs and respond to changes as needed.
The YMCA has sites, mostly at schools, in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm and soon in Shelton, but not downtown. The new location will open in 7,500 square feet at 108 State Ave. NE, the former site of the Family Support Center of Thurston County, and the Olympia Child Care Center. The site next to The Olympia Center has indoor and outdoor space, Cronk said.
The YMCA also will operate a site at Camp Gwinwood, a Christian camp and conference center on 30th Avenue Southeast in Lacey.
Cronk expects the downtown site to accommodate about 50 people — 40 students and 10 staff. Both groups will have to wear masks and undergo health screenings. The YMCA’s various sites receive a “tremendous amount of sanitation,” Cronk said.
“We do what’s necessary to run a safe program,” he said.
The locations are open to all families, not just essential workers, he said.
What kind of demand does he expect? Upwards of 800 families, Cronk said.
Most sites will accommodate about 50 people (students and staff), he said. Camp Gwinwood, which the YMCA does not own, will operate with 80 people, Cronk said.
If you need childcare
Enrollment begins Friday, Aug. 7, for the fall South Sound YMCA learning academies.
Here are the locations so far:
▪ Olympia: Garfield, McLane, McKinney, Roosevelt elementary schools, plus the new downtown location at 108 State Ave. NE.
▪ Lacey: Lacey and Chambers Prairie elementary schools, plus Camp Gwinwood on Hicks Lake.
▪ Tumwater: Tumwater Hill Elementary.
▪ Yelm: Southworth Elementary.
▪ Shelton: Elementary school still to be determined, Cronk said.
Tuition
South Sound YMCA charges $875 a month for childcare five days a week, or $835 a month for those who are already YMCA members. It’s $630 a month for three days a week and $450 a month for two days a week. Both part-time services also are discounted if you’re a member.
Camp Gwinwood in Lacey is offering only full-time childcare for $975 per month, or $935 per month with the membership discount.
Cronk said financial aid is available to families. “Cost should not be a barrier,” he said.
To register, or for more information, go to South Sound YMCA at https://southsoundymca.org/
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
