Finding child care can be a hassle. Finding child care that is affordable, even more so.
That’s why YWCA McLean County in Bloomington has low-cost options for families through its Young Wonders Early Learning and Youth Development program. And, beginning this school year, it’s added a no-cost before and after-school care opportunity for low-income families with students who attend District 87’s Sheridan Elementary School.
The Illinois State Board of Education [ISBE] gave YWCA $60,000 from its After School Program Grants to make the program expansion possible. Parents and guardians also are expected to participate in monthly programming, learning about skills, including budgeting and how to job search.
Melissa Breeden, YWCA’s vice president of education and curriculum, said YWCA’s programs fill a known gap in the community.
“Child care is not affordable any longer, and a lot of families, even those that are considered to be more economically stable, are having issues with affording it. Therefore, making decisions on either staying home, working from home with their child, or having a grandparent or someone else step in and what the child is missing out on then is that socialization component,” she said.
When YWCA was applying for the ISBE grant, Breeden said the initial plan was to get funding for all Young Wonders' school programs at six locations — including Sheridan — but the nonprofit wound up with just enough to fund a program where it is most needed.
“There's just a higher population of low-income families [at Sheridan], and so this grant will give them the opportunity not only to get caught up on other bills that they have but also to receive free parent education,” she said.
The Birth to Five Illinois Action Council, which Breeden herself is part of, influenced YWCA’s planning since the group had identified affordable child care as a growing community need in its recent Action Plan.
Young Wonders mom
Anna Trimpe is a young mom who worked at Young Wonders Summer Camp and has a son who now attends before and after-school programming since she started teaching at Kingsley Junior High School in Unit 5 this year. Trimpe said YWCA is one of the only places she confidently thinks she’d have been able to afford since they offer 10% off for Unit 5 and D87 teachers. She also gets assistance from the Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
“I don't honestly know of any [programs] that really would have been able to meet those same standards and have as much flexibility with us as the Y,” she said.
Breeden said discounted child care for teachers started during the pandemic, as another response to a growing need. YWCA started offering its staff free services as of this year. She said these were all ways to meet identified needs.
YWCA also offers generous start and end times, added Trimpe , allowing families to drop off kids as early as 6:30 a.m. and pick them up as late as 5:30 p.m.
“I have morning meetings that I have to be at,” she said. “I don't have to worry about, ‘What time can I get him there?’ Like, ‘What is the earliest I can be there?’”
The same goes for pickup, she said.
Trimpe also spoke highly of the programs themselves. She has experience as a parent, staff and former YWCA preschooler and child care participant.
“When I had my kiddo, I knew that that was where I wanted to take him, because I already had that relationship, and I had trust in everybody that was there because they took care of me,” she said.
More on Young Wonders
Breeden pointed out that YWCA has been offering child care through Young Wonders since 1970.
In addition to the new Sheridan programming and 10% off for area teachers, YWCA staff also can utilize Young Wonders services for free.
YWCA continues to think of ways to widen its offerings and make them more accessible, said Breeden, noting ISBE provided one way to do that with the Sheridan grant.
The nonprofit is looking to hire more staff to the Young Wonders program. Right now, Breeden said there are roughly 25 students, but the more staff there are, “the more kids we can serve.”
