Some parents thought there was little clarity provided about the future of certain children’s programs at the YMCA during the organization’s recent meeting, so they created a group to raise their concerns together.
The Before and After School Program (BASP) Concerned Parents sent out an email on June 3, with a list of questions and observations that were generated after the YMCA of Moose Jaw held a community meeting on May 28 to announce it was shutting down both locations due to financial insolvency.
While the YMCA of Regina will take over the five child-care locations in Moose Jaw, other programs — such as the before and after school program and a mentorship program — will go dark by July 2. This will be the last year for the summer day camp program.
See page 32 of the June 5 edition of The Moose Jaw Express for the full list of questions and concerns the group raised, or click here.
Answers unsatisfactory
Melissa Bryden, a spokeswoman for the group, told the Moose Jaw Express that the answers given during the meeting to answers from the floor were unsatisfactory, were not concrete or specific, and were unfactual. She pointed many answers included the words “may,” “likely to be,” and “possibly.”
“The statement that was read said there would be no impact to child services, yet we were all told we would have no child care,” she said. “We haven’t been able to receive answers on the future of those programs.”
Two reasons given during the community meeting for the shut-down of the YMCA were around financial constraints and competition from other fitness centres and gyms. Bryden wondered where the competition is for services such as the before and after school program, since that is where parents now need to go.
As of May 31, the licensed YMCA daycares are full and do not have any available spaces to accommodate the more than 60 families who require care before or after school services, the Concerned Parents said in their email. During the community meeting, parents were told accessing these spaces was an option.
Child-care options
Bryden has three children, two of whom attend the BAS program and have used the Y’s child-care services since 2015. The family moved from one child-care centre to another last year since it was told the other location would be more appropriate.
If the board knew about the closure 18 months ago, then why were the Brydens encouraged to leave secure child care, asked Bryden. She noted that there is no other licensed opportunity to take over the 75 spaces for licensed child-care, making it inconvenient.
Busing options removed
The BAS program was held at the Fairford Street location from September to June. The YMCA provided buses to get students to and from the nine schools in Moose Jaw.
That busing will now be lost, which is also inconvenient for parents, Bryden pointed out, since the buses were available for early dismissals and school holidays. Some parents are now scrambling to find alternative transportation options, along with different work arrangements for when their kids arrive home.
Bryden expressed her frustration about this aspect during her conversation with Diana Deakin-Thomas, interim CEO of the Moose Jaw YMCA.
“I’m fortunate. I have two options available to me,” she continued. She can use the private home daycare services of someone close to her kids’ school, or she can have a stay-at-home mom watch her children. However, she is concerned about the latter option due to reliability and the fact that it is not licensed.
Last year for summer camps
The YMCA’s summer day camps are normally open to all school-age children. However, Bryden noted registration applications were sent out late, while this summer’s camps are open only to member families, returning families and those already enrolled in Y programs. The program will also end one week earlier than usual, while no BAS program would be offered for that time.
Parents received a letter about these changes on May 17; they then learned about the YMCA’s closure on May 28.
The YMCA offers one of the only accessible community-wide camp programs, said Bryden. It’s not just members of the YMCA who will be affected, she continued, it will be the entire community. Moose Jaw has yet to feel the effects of this decision.
“Me personally, the two most hurtful things are the staff who are affected were equally blind-sided as the community. I feel a big disservice was done to them,” Bryden remarked. “And to sit in a room and to be told, ‘Don’t worry,’ our child-care is not going to be affected … (that was unfair).”
Bryden added that the community meeting did not go positively, and while the YMCA board had a prepared statement, it failed to identify the effect its decision would have on the community. Bryden also thought it was sad that neither Deakin-Thomas nor the board chair knew who any of the employees were who asked questions throughout the meeting.
To contact the parent group, email [email protected].
