Need childcare? South Sound YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs open, but need more staff
As far as working parents are concerned, the K-12 school year is already off to a better start because in-person learning five days a week fills a major childcare gap that went missing a year ago during the pandemic.
But what about before and after school care? Two large programs offered through South Sound YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County are open for business — but both organizations need more childcare workers.
Still, both operations are back to doing what they do best after a year in which they stepped out of their comfort zones and adjusted to remote and hybrid learning by helping kids with their online learning.
“We are in our wheelhouse,” said South Sound YMCA President and Chief Executive Kyle Cronk about the new year. “We are serving school districts and families like we always have and always will continue to do.”
“We haven’t been able to do our regular programming for a long time,” added Chris Woods, chief executive of the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County. “We can now focus on the things the Boys and Girls Club does best. It feels like riding a bike, and we’re excited to get back to it.”
South Sound YMCA
South Sound YMCA, which provides childcare services at 30 schools in the region, says things are looking a lot better for the organization than they were over the summer, Cronk said.
In July, like in so many industries throughout the country, South Sound YMCA was in need of childcare workers. To help its own hiring cause, South Sound YMCA announced hiring bonuses of up to $1,000 and was able to attract 35-40 new employees, Cronk said.
“We are feeling way more positive than a month ago,” he said in late August.
The need for childcare workers was made more acute because before the pandemic, South Sound YMCA served 1,200-1,300 children in five school districts.
After the first week of school, Cronk said the organization was at 70 percent of capacity.
Although about 40 new hires were added to South Sound YMCA’s staff, Cronk said the organization is always in a state of hiring and now still needs about 10 people.
“We’re always looking for people who are good with kids,” he said. Site directors earn $18.50 per hour and group leaders $15 per hour, Cronk said. They are required to be vaccinated, he said.
Cronk said financial aid is available to families in need of childcare, and YMCA staff are prepared to help parents fill out the necessary paperwork.
Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County
Woods, too, said the Boys and Girls Club offers scholarships that can significantly reduce enrollment costs for families.
But he said all seven of its locations in the county are full. They are compiling waiting lists and are still looking to hire as many as 15 childcare workers. With more workers, the organization can add capacity and still stay within the group size requirements set by the state for COVID-19, Woods said.
Also, an eighth site is about to come online in early October, Woods said. On Oct. 4, in partnership with the Griffin School District, the Boys and Girls Club will open a site at Griffin School.
The other sites are in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Rochester, Tenino and Yelm. Lacey has two locations.
Woods said they offer a variety of work schedules and are willing to accommodate workers’ needs. They prefer people with childcare experience, as well as those who enjoy working with youth and are prepared to be positive role models for children. But if they don’t have experience, the Boys and Girls Club offers training and procedures to get staff ready for the job, he said.
Pay starts at minimum wage, but rises with experience, Woods said. It can be part-time work for high school and college students, he added.
Woods said they are following the state vaccination rule for staff, meaning they either get vaccinated or qualify under either a medical or religious exemption.
At both South Sound YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club, students wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands and follow other guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19. And both groups have been doing it for 18 months.
“I hate to say we’ve gotten good at this, because it’s not necessarily something you want to be good at,” Woods said. “But we feel pretty confident that the procedures we have in place are keeping our staff and kids safe.”
For more about the Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County, go to: https://www.bgctc.org/.
For more about South Sound YMCA, go to: https://southsoundymca.org/.
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
