Programs > Childcare and Camps > Early Care > Parent Corner – Early Care

Parent Corner

Early Care: Infants, Toddlers and Preschool

We support your family values and work with you to expand your child’s world. Mastering new, age-appropriate skills, your child will build on accomplishments. Learning through play provides a solid foundation they can take to kindergarten and beyond. Led by experienced and caring staff, kids at YMCA Children’s Academy are encouraged to use their creativity, develop new skills and play with peers.

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Child Protection Policy

The Y takes protecting your children seriously.

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Creative Curriculum

Learn more about our curriculum. This is an external site.

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Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available through the YMCA and other subsidies.

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Parent Handbook

Dig a little deeper into our policies, conduct, program information, and more!

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4-Star Texas Rising Star Programs

The YMCA of Greater Houston is the proud to have 4-Star Texas Rising Star programs!

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Before and After School Care

Need care for an older child?

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Stay connected with what we are doing at sites across Houston!

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Children learn a lot through interaction and exploration. In other words, playing is learning. Playtime builds organizational skills. Playing with blocks teaches innovation and so on. We take every interaction we have as a learning experience to develop your child’s creative, intellectual, emotional, social and physical skills.

Your child’s safety and security, as well as their body, mind and spirit, are our central focus. We incorporate the fundamental focal points of personal development, physical activity, education, awareness and nutrition. We layer in learning through play with time to rest and recharge to give your child a healthy, well-rounded foundation to grow.

We use Creative Curriculum® with developmentally appropriate experiences to foster joyful learning, address specific needs, build skills for success and incorporate STEAM activities.

Benefits of Early Care:

Your maternity leave is coming to an end and sending your child to a new and strange place for the workday is probably the last thing you want to do. But enrolling your kid in daycare is one of the best things you can do for them.

When children are around other children their age, under the supervision of professionals, it’s beneficial for their emotional and social development. At the Y, children learn to share, resolve arguments and play well with others. They also make new friends, adopt skills that will help them later in life, and learn to become better at communicating. YMCA early care doesn’t just give parents the time they need to provide for their family, it also provides children with important social interactions that help them to learn and grow.

Children participating in a daycare program participate in a structured and supervised environment. While it may be more laid back than traditional schooling, it still follows a schedule including snack times, engaging learning activities and playtimes. Your child will follow a similar schedule once they begin Kindergarten and progress through grade school. Kids starting their ‘school’ career in YMCA Children’s Academy will find it easier to adjust to formal schooling.

It may seem like kids in daycare are always sick. All those early childhood sniffles pay off down the road by toughening up your child’s immune system. Similar to vaccines, exposure to germs and diseases when they are in daycare helps your kids to be better able to fight off illnesses as they grow older. In short, they’re getting it all out of their system now so they can grow into healthy adults.

“I realize putting your child in the care of someone else is a huge decision. Personally, I wrestled with it for quite some time before a neighbor recommended the YMCA Children’s Academy at University Park. The Y wasn’t just a place where my daughter learned how to play and socialize, but she also gained educational and nutritional components from her teachers. I feel the Y provided crucial social interaction skills she would not have learned anywhere else. I am deeply grateful to the Y. My daughter felt deep love and care from her caregivers. Now that I’m expecting my second child, I know exactly where I will be taking them.”

Frequently Asked Questions

The hours of operation vary by sites. All locations are open Monday through Friday. Find your YMCA >

Yes there is a one-time $100 registration/enrollment fee.

Each September accounts will be charged a $100 curriculum/supply fee.

Tuition fees vary by site.

The YMCA is a vendor for Workforce Solutions. Parents who do not qualify for Workforce Solutions may apply for financial assistance through the YMCA Annual Campaign.

HOLIDAYS

Our program will be closed on the following holidays:

  • New Year’s Eve
  • New Year’s Day
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Fourth of July
  • Labor Day
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Friday after Thanksgiving
  • Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Day

In-service Days

Our program will be closed on the following inservice days:

  • Please ask for upcoming inservice days

We use the Creative Curriculum and GOLD assessment. Core areas include: Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Technology, Healthy Eating & Physical Activity, and Character Development

All staff will meet qualifications outlined in Minimum Standards. Staff must be a minimum of 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or equivalency, clear criminal background check and fingerprint and notarized affidavit. The Director will have a college degree or CDA and a minimum of 5 years of experience that can include working in another accredited program. All teachers must have experience, associate degrees in early child care or BS degrees. The YMCA provides in house training for all staff that includes CPR/1st Aid, Child Abuse, Pre-service, Blood Borne Pathogens, etc. The YMCA of the USA provides a series of trainings for professional development that includes early care, school age care and business management.

0-12 months – 1:4

13-17 months – 1:5

18-23 months – 1:8

2 year olds – 1:10

3 year olds – 1:14

4 year olds – 1:16

5 year olds – 1:16

We will need a copy of your child’s current shot record and a health statement from your doctor stating that your child can attend a child care facility. If your child is 4 years old then we will also need a copy of their vision and hearing screening.

Yes. When joining our YMCA family you have two options for membership, both with unique benefits and impact. Options include an Impact Membership or a Facility Membership.

Check with your local facility. Some programs do provide a form of drop in care.

The YMCA does not provide a 2nd child discount.

Your child will need a change of clothes. Please make sure that the clothes are labeled with their name.

Infants will need to bring diapers, wipes, formula or breast milk and several changes of clothes. Please make sure that the clothes are labeled with their name.

Check with your location to find out if you will need to pack a snack/lunch.

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