HUNTSVILLE, Ala — Beginning Monday, March 23, essential workers as defined by the Alabama Department of Public Health have both partial and full day child care available at the Southeast Family YMCA in Huntsville and the Hogan Family YMCA in Madison.
The Y has moved health and wellness services to a virtual platform available to all at www.ymcahuntsville.org and these facilities will be exclusively for child care.
Essential worker categories as defined by the Alabama Department of Public Health include: State and Local Governments, First Responders (including EMS and Fire Services), Law Enforcement, Hospitals, Nursing Home/Long Term Care Facilities (including Assisted Living and Specialty Care Assisted Living Facilities), End Stage Renal Disease Treatment Centers, Pharmacies, and Grocery Stores.
Care is provided from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The Y is providing five days of child care for $135 for both members and non-members as well as hourly care at the rate of $5 per hour with a four-hour minimum. Children will enjoy games, arts and crafts, and playtime outdoors with Y Staff in a safe and healthy environment.
Online registration and scholarship information is available at www.ymcahuntsville.org/CARE.
Jerry Courtney, Heart of the Valley YMCA President/CEO, says, "The YMCA has always been more than a gym. We are providing child care services to those essential workers so that they are able to take care of all of us. Financial assistance is available, and no one will be turned away due to their inability to pay."
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a charitable mission, the Y relies on membership fees, program participation fees, and donations to operate. The shift in operations will have a significant impact on the Y’s ability to deliver mission-critical services to our community during this time. The community is invited to donate to off-set child care costs for essential employees. Learn more at the Heart of the Valley YMCA’s COVID-19 Response Hub page at www.ymcahuntsville.org.
“Let’s work together to support friends, colleagues, and neighbors,” Courtney added. “Only by coming together can we best handle this crisis and come out a stronger community afterward.”
