Discover your child’s home away from home.

We're proud to offer high quality programs that meet or exceed the standards in the Early Learning and Child Care Act and the Early Learning and Child Care Regulations.

Our programs are visited regularly by a Licensing Officer and we're committed to offering exceptional care that doesn't just meet provincial standards, but contributes to each child's healthy development in meaningful ways.

Our research-backed, play-based YMCA curriculum is what sets YMCA Child Care apart!

Your child will spend their early childhood years becoming confident decision-makers who can affect change in their communities as they interact with our Educators trained in our national curriculums, YMCA Playing to Learn™ and YMCA A Place to Connect™. 

These thoughtful curricula mean your child's growth and development will be supported while they explore their interests, become leaders and create lifelong healthy habits.

We also follow Flight, Alberta's Early Learning and Care Framework. We provide updates on your child's developmental goals based on this provincial curriculum.

Discover our national curriculums

Our dedicated Early Childhood Educators are your family's partners in your child's success! All of our Educators are carefully chosen based on their experience, willingness to learn and ability to relate to children and their families.

All YMCA Educators must have or obtain their Level 1, 2 or 3 Early Childhood Educator certification from the Government of Alberta, depending on their position, to work in our programs.

Our Educators are screened using resumes, interviews, three reference checks and a Police Information Check with a vulnerable sector search. They are all adults who receive First Aid certification and go through a thorough orientation and training process.

The YMCA is an inclusive and diverse charitable organization. We welcome children of all backgrounds and family circumstances to our programs. Our programs are an extension of each child's family, community and culture. These aspects of your child's life are celebrated in our YMCA community!

The YMCA makes a deliberate effort to create supportive, socially inclusive and culturally sensitive environments, routines, transitions, programming and activities that are accessible, relieve stress and meet the needs of all children. 

Inclusion is ensuring the active and meaningful participation of every child in the program, regardless of physical, cognitive, developmental, behavioural, social or emotional need. Our books, toys, puzzles and activities represent a full range of diversity, including age, ability, culture, ethnicity, family dynamics and gender. Our Educators will positively make adjustments to our program to make sure every child can participate, and encourage positive peer relationships so that every child knows they belong.

If your child requires additional support, we'll make sure your family feels supported and can access the resources you need for your child's success.

Want a deep dive into our official policies? You can read them all here:

Administration policy

Child guidance policy

Emergency procedures

Health, safety & wellness policy

Insect repellent policy

Programming policy

Rest and nap expectations

Stay at home guide

Sun safety policy

Supervision policy

Transportation policy

If you have questions about a policy, please contact us at childcare@ymcanab.ca, or, if you're an existing child care family, please reach out to your centre's team.

Whether your child is in an Early Years or Out of School Care program, you'll know that their curiosity will be nurtured as our programs follow their interests, celebrate their culture and bring what makes their family special into our classrooms. 

While following our Playing to Learn and A Place to Connect curricula, our programming is open-ended to allow for deep dives on a subject the children are interested in. YMCA Child Care is an extension of each child's home or community — a place where the activities provided celebrate what makes each child special.

Our programs include intentional outdoor and physical activities, developing physical literacy and a lifelong love of being active. Your child will also have many opportunities to interact individually or as part of a group, explore arts, crafts, reading, science, construction, messy play and more.

At drop off and pick up, we'll be happy to greet you! Your child will be signed in and signed out.

We'll never release your child to anyone without authorization. If someone other than your child's authorized parent or guardian will be picking them up, you must notify us first. That person must be at least 14 years of age.

We know naps are important! All infant and toddler programs, and some preschool programs, have a scheduled rest period each day. Children aren't required to sleep, but they will be encouraged to do so.

Children 11 months and under are provided with a crib, while children 12 months and older are provided with a mat. Children are welcome to bring a comfort item with them for their rest period.

Out of School Care, Kindercare and some Preschool-age programs do not have a scheduled rest period, but quiet activities are offered to provide rest throughout the day. Children who need a rest can access a quiet area with soft items and comfortable furniture to take a break from play.

All our programs provide a morning and afternoon snack, as a choice, that aligns with Health Canada and Alberta Health nutrition guidance.

In all of our programs, parents or guardians need to provide lunch for their child as the YMCA doesn't provide it. Most centres have microwaves, but because our Educators are focusing on supervision and engaging with the children, their time heating up lunches is limited. Some centres have refrigerators to keep packed lunches in, but this isn't possible at all centres. We recommend parents send warm foods in a Thermos to keep them warm until lunch, and provide an ice pack for foods that need to be kept cool. 

Catered lunches from Second Chef are available at select Edmonton locations based on demand, at an additional cost. Click here for more information about Second Chef's lunch delivery service.

Educators will encourage healthy eating, but a child is not required to have snack or finish their lunch.

In our younger age groups, we offer diapering using a changing table or mat, with the diapers and wipes provided by your family. Our Educators will partner with families on toilet learning for toddlers and some preschool-age children. All YMCA Child Care locations have washrooms for the children's use.

Each YMCA Child Care program will have its own guidelines for bringing toys from home as we recognize that comfort items are important to children and families. Any items brought from home are the responsibility of the child and not the program.

We recommend personal items from home (i.e. hats, mitts, jackets, blankets, cups, bottles etc), be labeled with children’s names.

Children in YMCA Child Care play outside every day, as long as it's safe to do so. We celebrate the wonder of the natural world, learn about environmental stewardship, gain new skills and most importantly, have fun!

In our Infant, Toddler, Preschool and Kindercare programs, children spend 2 hours each day outside. This can be broken up over the morning and afternoon and gives children the chance to move, explore their community and learn in ways that aren't possible indoors.

After sitting all day in school, children in Out of School Care will play outside in intentional games and activities at least 45 minutes each day. On non-school days, they will be outdoors for at least 2 hours.   

We ask parents to provide outdoor clothing for all weather conditions to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

Children will also have the opportunity to experience both competitive and cooperative games in an outside or gym environment, to help them learn the physical literacy skills that can lead to a lifelong love of being active.

If your child has homework, they can choose to work on it during Out of School Care, except during outside play or programmed physical activity. Educators can help children with their homework, but can't offer tutoring. The YMCA cannot provide electronics for virtual learning and may not have access to Wi-Fi. 

At the Y, children can participate in their local and global communities through excursions, visits from special guests and extra programmed activities.

Off-site excursions are an important part of our programming as they provide children with the opportunity to take an active role in different areas of our community. 

We plan outings based on the children's interests and the surrounding community. There may be different off-site activities planned to meet the different developmental needs of the children. Therefore, not every group of children will be able to participate in every off-site activity. 

If needed, a permission form will be provided to families.

We work to build relationships within the communities we serve so we can offer interesting and fun community excursions to the children in our care.

Our Out of School Care locations only serve certain schools. Children may attend alternate programs and be transported to our programs if Inclusive Child Care or Family Supports for Children with Disabilities funding for an Educator is in place.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to communicate their questions and concerns to their child’s Educators. We'll take the time to acknowledge your family as you arrive and leave each day, offering information about your child's day. 

In our Early Years program, we communicate information about your child's daily play and more through our Weemarkable app. With updates on your child's development goals, Weemarkable helps connect you to the small moments and big milestones!

Any potentially sensitive issues will be discussed with families in a non-public place. We welcome communication from parents and guardians, and are happy to discuss your child's experience in child care. We will consider your suggestions and, if possible and necessary, make changes to our program based on feedback.

Because we believe child care is an extension of your child's family and community, we host special events throughout the year for parents and guardians, children and their Educators to come together. 

As a charity, we also offer opportunities for families to volunteer in our programs.

We have a Stay at Home Guide to help families know when their child should stay home if unwell and when they can return to YMCA Child Care.

Children, employees, visitors, parents or guardians should not come into our child care program if they're unwell.

Our child care spaces are healthy and safe. We engage in frequent, thorough cleaning and disinfecting each day and meet or exceed guidelines provided by Alberta Health Services so that our spaces are clean and inviting.

Educators always encourage healthy eating choices, but a child is not required to have snacks or finish their lunches.

We take allergies and dietary restrictions seriously, and can make substitutions or work with your family to make sure your child has healthy choices that are right for them.

Our programs are nut-aware facilities, but because of the nature of our programs and our involvement in the community, it is not possible to be an entirely nut-free facility.

We teach healthy food and nutrition choices in our programs, and offer cooking and baking activities that help children get excited about nutrition. 

Children are usually not allowed to use personal electronic devices in YMCA Child Care, as they can be a distraction during programming and are a risk for loss or damage. If your child brings these items to school, they'll need to stay in their backpack during Out of School Care. During special activities, children may be allowed to bring these items from home. The YMCA will also provide electronic devices for interactive learning if the program needs them — but screen time is always monitored and limited.

We know that the internet is an important learning tool for school-aged children, so we teach and role model responsible usage in our Out of School Care programs. At some programs, the internet is available for children to use for school projects, as an information resource or to play approved games or videos. Educators always monitor children closely during any online activity.

Educators will always encourage healthy habits, including personal hygiene and handwashing, physical activity, nutrition and mindfulness activities to decrease stress and anxiety.  

The YMCA will allow pets and animals in our program with the permission of the building manager, as some of our locations are not YMCA-owned facilities. Children and Educators will always wash their hands after touching pets. Not all centres have a pet, but sometimes field trips or special activities could include interacting with animals. Families will be made aware of any interactions.

Our hours of operation vary by location. You can find the hours at the location you're interested in by clicking here.

Children are welcome to be dropped off for programs any time during our operational hours, however, we ask families to avoid drop off during scheduled nap times, when possible.

YMCA Child Care is closed on statutory holidays. Days in lieu for statutory holidays are determined by the YMCA and take into consideration closure schedules for schools we serve. Families will be notified if their centre will have low expected attendance on non-school days or holiday breaks and will have care offered at another facility or reduced hours at the program.

The YMCA may provide full-day care for children during non-instructional school days. Families of children that attend a school other than the one in which the program is based are required to provide two weeks' notice.

All child care programs will be closed on Easter Monday for our annual Professional Development day for all our Educators.

All of our Early Years centres, and the majority of our Out of School Care centres, run for 12 months of the year. There may be a fee for families wishing to remove their child from care to hold space.

Centres may be required to modify hours or close if there are unexpected employee shortages, but we do everything we can to make sure we're there for our families, providing the care they need.

When a location on our website lists "school served," that specific YMCA Child Care location only opens registration to children attending the listed school(s). That means children who do not attend the listed school(s) are not eligible to attend that YMCA Child Care location.

Some YMCA Child Care programs offer flexible, mixed-age groups to support choice and accessibility for families and to reduce the impact of change and transition for children. You can ask for more information about that during your enrolment process!

Part time and drop-in care is only available at some Out of School Care locations. We are not currently offering drop-in and part time care in Early Learning Child Care. If you are registered in drop-in care, requests for care are subject to availability on the day requested and not guaranteed more than 2 weeks in advance.

Our registration process starts by filling out our Registration, Waitlist & Transfer Form, selecting the centre you're interested in. Our team will contact you to let you know the next steps!

You can join a waitlist for YMCA Child Care at no charge. We will contact you once a space becomes available at the location you've selected. Click here to join a waitlist for your location of choice.

If you're already a YMCA Child Care family, you can request a transfer to another centre using that same form.

We accept provincial government subsidy, and we also participate in the Canada-wide Early Learning Child Care program, also known as the Affordability Grant. The affordability grant lowers fees significantly for families with children in Early Years programs.

Affordability Grant

Monthly fees for children registered in infant, toddler, preschool or Kindercare (attending kindergarten and YMCA Child Care during regular school hours) for six or more days per month will be lowered thanks to the Canada-wide Early Learning Child Care agreement. You will only be charged the parent portion of the fee, and the rest will be covered by the Government of Alberta's Affordability Grant.

Click here for more information about the Affordability Grant.

Provincial Government Subsidy

Provincial government subsidy is only available for children in Out of School Care. The income threshold for children in Kindergarten to grade 6 is $90,000. 

Families need to have their provincial government subsidy in place before they register. It's also the responsibility of families to renew, communicate or provide updates to government subsidy as required. If we don't receive confirmation of your subsidy approval, you'll need to pay the full program fee. However, if the approval is backdated, we will credit your family's account for the subsidy amount. If your child doesn't attend child care for the required hours, you will need to pay the balance owing, which we'll deduct on the next fee withdrawal.

Click here for more information about provincial government subsidy.

Other Forms of Financial Assistance

The YMCA accepts alternate financial assistance from government or community programs. Families are responsible for communicating with these programs to provide updates to fees, term and/or attendance.

As a charity, the YMCA can provide support for families in need on a temporary basis thanks to generous donations from our community.

You can find all the information you need on YMCA Child Care fees by clicking here.

To account for inflation and the rising costs for operating, the YMCA implements occasional adjustments to our fees. We complete a market assessment prior to finalizing the increase amount, and we try to keep any increases as low as possible. Families will receive written notice at least 30 days prior to any fee change. Out of School Care operates at an increased rate in July and August to cover the costs of field trips, busing and additional programming.

At the YMCA, we value inclusion, respect, honesty, caring and responsibility. We expect all our employees, volunteers, members and participants to model their behaviour and actions on these values while participating in any YMCA program or service or visiting our facilities. 

Although a last resort, the YMCA reserves the right to suspend or terminate a child’s care.

Schedule a tour to explore our welcoming spaces in Grande Prairie, meet our caring educators and learn about our programs designed to support your child's growth and development.

Book a tour of a Child Care centre

Schedule a tour to explore our welcoming spaces in Wood Buffalo, meet our caring educators and learn about our programs designed to support your child's growth and development.

Book a tour of a Child Care centre

Schedule a tour to explore our welcoming spaces in Edmonton, meet our caring educators and learn about our programs designed to support your child's growth and development.

Book a tour of a Child Care centre