Members' registration for fall childcare opens on June 1 and on June 8 for everyone. Childcare at the WCY serves working families throughout the county, offering them a safe, engaging venue for their children when there are no school options.
Our youngest children (4 and 5 year-olds) come to the Little Learners Preschool. Kids and parents love Miss Jen, the master teacher in charge. And children graduate from the program ready to start Kindergarten. In addition to the structured and unstructured play on land, our little learners also learn confidence in the water with regular swim times. Local area teachers tell us that children from Little Learners are often ahead of their peers when they start kindergarten. We attribute this to the caring teachers the children have as they play, learn, and interact with each other.
During the school year, parents depend on the before and afterschool options our Y offers. The program includes structured and unstructured time to play, swim, make arts and crafts, and, most importantly, socialize. Many fast friendships start at the Y. The trained caregivers also run regular activities to encourage our core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility.
Vacation Care provides care to our afterschool friends on vacations, snow days, and teacher in-service days.
Teen Time gives sixth grade students a structured place to be afterschool. The Y provides students a place to socialize, play, and work on homework afterschool. Sandi Roman, our long time Teen Time director, makes strong connections with the children who attend and gives them a caring adult in their corner. This free program is partially funded by the City of Belfast.
We strive to make all of these programs affordable for all families. Our sustaining sponsors, Viking Lumber, Consumers Fuel, First National Bank, Ironwood, and Robbins Lumber, help us do that. We also offer financial assistance through grants from United Midcoast Charities, the Maine Charitable Foundation and the Virginia Burrows Endowment to ensure that all families have access to the high-quality programs we provide.