Looking for a place to swim laps, join a volleyball team, or take a yoga class? The YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County has all the classics covered, along with newer programming and lessons on everything from boxing to Reiki. Many of its offerings are designed to help members and drop-in visitors lead lives full of fun and fitness. But there's a whole other side to the Y, and it's laser-focused on helping families succeed: affordable, well-managed childcare that covers a lot of the gaps that trip up working parents.
The Y's "School's Out!" before- and after-school programs provide a stimulating, nurturing environment (and snacks!) for those early morning and late afternoon hours when many parents of school-aged kids need help the most. The programs, which run from 7am to the start of school hours and dismissal to 6pm, are offered for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade at elementary schools in Kingston, New Paltz, Marlboro, Highland, Marbletown, and Ellenville.
"In the morning, when the kids are just coming in, we offer quiet activities that allow them to follow their interests and they have breakfast before they head to class," says Heidi Kirschner, president and CEO of the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County, who has been leading the organization since 2011.
"In the afternoon, we have 30 to 45 minutes of quiet time—some kids choose to rest, others get their homework out of the way, some do quiet activities like arts and crafts. Then we have a snack, and after that we get outside if the weather's good or play in the gym to get active. After that, it's usually games or homework or a special activity," says Kirschner. "We want parents to have a reliable situation, to know that their kids are safe, and that they're doing cool, interesting things in those hours."
The Y's childcare offerings also extend to its "No School Today" program, which runs 8am to 5pm on most days when schools close for longer breaks, special holidays, and district conference days.
Come summertime, the Y offers three varied day camps for kids and teens in kindergarten through grade 9 at its Kingston location, at Lenape Elementary School in New Paltz, and on Camp Seewackamano's 37 wooded acres in Shokan. It also offers youth summer sports programs that build soccer and basketball skills, and it runs a two-week rowing program in collaboration with the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the Rondout Rowing Club.
The programming, says Kirschner, benefits everyone involved. "It's great for us because it's helped us grow as an organization," she says. "We're lucky to have really great staff in place at this point in time. They're young, energetic, and educated, and this is what they really want to do. They spend a lot of time thinking up ways for the kids to have fun and explore and challenge their brains and their bodies."
In addition to providing opportunities for enrichment for hundreds of kids year-round, as one of the region's largest youth employers, nurturing budding educators is key to the organization's mission. "I love the ownership the young people take in figuring out what's important for the kids to know," Kirschner says. "They help build our curriculums—from basic engineering concepts to nutrition, gardening, and science on our farm to swimming, bike riding safety, and public speaking. It's amazing to watch people I knew as tweens grow into young adults working here, then bring their own kids to the programs years later."
For anyone looking for an opportunity to grow in their career and give back to their community, Kirschner notes that the Y is always hiring for positions in its childcare programs as well as its wide variety of other offerings for all ages. For more information, call (845) 338-3810 or visit Ymcaulster.org/employment.