The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

The school year is right around the corner, and September 8th is the first day for Waitsburg students. As schools kick off a virtual learning experience, many parents are worried about childcare and ensuring their kids stay up to speed. Waitsburg Schools, partnered with the Valley’s largest non-profit, licensed childcare provider, may have a solution.

Walla Walla YMCA CEO Karen Hedine said that the childcare conversation is long overdue in Waitsburg. Still, she couldn’t think of a better time to have that talk than now, as many parents are having to pick between returning to work or staying home with children.

Over the summer, the YMCA staff developed a pandemic-approved summer camp program that embraced the quality activities the YMCA has always provided while staying conscientious of the potentially-deadly virus. Rigorous cleaning procedures, personalized supply kits for each kid, and ‘home-pod’ style seating are a few of the new measures that made the summer camps successful and will carry over into the daycare program.

The ‘pods’ at the summer program consisted of groups of six to eight children, and the groups stayed together for all activities. Staff tried to create “pods” with children that generally spend time together outside of the program, whether siblings, family friends, or classmates. Hedine said the pods allow students to safely distance, helps make cleaning easier, and also make contact tracing simpler should a child or family member test positive for the COVID-19 virus.

“A lot of the cleaning goes on without the kids noticing,” Hedine said during a phone interview last week. “We are trying to keep things as normal as possible for them. A lot of the cleaning goes on quietly, without the staff making a big deal, but it is happening, and happening often.”

The school district and the YMCA will work closely together, with the district providing Chromebook laptops, WiFi hotspots, and meals.

Superintendent Mark Pickel said that the district has reached out to both Pastor Matthew Wyatt and Reverend Stan Hughes, and it looks like the Waitsburg Christian Church will be able to provide space, with the Presbyterian Church as a possible backup.

“Reverend Stan said he had to bring the idea to his church’s board for approval,” Pickel said. “We are very thankful that we have two spaces so close to the school as options, and that both churches are open to the idea.”

The entire program, however, is contingent on staffing. The YMCA is seeking people 18 years old and older who enjoy working with children and can pass necessary background checks to run the program. Hedine said prior experience is always a bonus, but it is not required.

Childcare providers would be responsible for helping kids with their school work and lead the STEM and physical activities that the YMCA has from their program. The YMCA will provide staff with CPR and first aid training, as well as COVID training that addresses personal protective equipment for children and adults, and how to explain COVID to children.

“I don’t want to diminish their responsibilities, but we would like the childcare providers to feel like super camp counselors for the kids,” Hedine said. She explained that while the childcare program would provide a space for schoolwork, they still wanted kids to have fun and enjoy the program.

Should the program find sufficient staff to start, the cost to parents would be in the $4.00 an hour range and with half and full-day options. Hedine said that the program is unable to accept state childcare pay; however, they are working on ways to help parents with the cost. She said the YMCA accepts community donations and has a list of wonderful sponsors who have supported YMCA programs in the past. If you are interested in becoming a YMCA sponser, contact Hedine at khedine@wymca.org, or donate online at http://www.wwymca.org/give/

Hedine said that the YMCA is hopeful that the childcare program will open on September 8th. If you are interested in applying for a position in the Waitsburg childcare program, contact Cris Benson, Director of Human Resources at cbenson@wwymca.org, or go online at http://www.wwymca.org/employment to complete an application.