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Jean Hamlyn Day Care Centre reopens under YMCA direction

November 5, 2020   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Jean Hamlyn Day Care Centre is now open and accepting applications to its program.

After being closed for several months, the Centre re-opened on October 19, and is being operated by the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

The building received some interior renovations over the summer. It is located at 65 McCarthy Street in Orangeville. 

The County of Dufferin decided to cease operations at the facility effective June 30, 2020, forcing the Town of Orangeville to start looking for a new operator to take over.

After putting out a call for new daycare providers, several organizations applied and the YMCA was selected.

“The YMCA is one of the largest child care centre operators in the province,” explained Center supervisor, Christine Baxter. “None of the other local centres offered infant care, and we know there’s a huge need for infant care in the town, so that was part of our proposal.”

The facility accepts infants, including newborns, and works with parents to create a schedule for each child.

“We work with the families,” Ms. Baxter explained. “They tell us what the current schedule is for each child. We take them right from birth up to 16 months. The youngest we have right now is seven months. That makes for a nice transition to when they are older. We take children up to age four or five depending on when they will be starting kindergarten.”

The Centre now has a wait list for infant care from people who are either expecting a new child or will be going back to work and will need child care.

They also have a program for older kids up to age 12. That program is held at Princess Elizabeth Public School and geared toward students who have to wait after school for their parents to get home from work.

“The program is all based around the child’s interest,” Ms. Baxter said. “It makes it interesting for the kids.”

The Centre is taking necessary precautions to ensure children are safe when they are participating in programs.

“We work very closely with Public Health to ensure we are following proper protocols. We are maintaining smaller classes and cohorts.”

The children are all required to follow the rules when it comes to hand sanitizing and related procedures and staff teach them how and when to do it properly.

They also have extra staff who are responsible for disinfecting the Care Centre and any area or objects that have been touched or are touch-points in the area.

The Jean Hamlyn Day Care Centre is taking applications for enrollment to the program.

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