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The YMCA-YWCA of Guelph is expanding its extended-day child care to kindergarteners in four locations this fall.
The sites will each offer 20 spaces for children enrolled in junior and senior kindergarten.
The Guelph Y already operates extended-day programs in three of the schools - John McCrae, Paisley Road and Jean Little - for school-age children. Holy Trinity will debut its child care in September. All four offer after-school care, while Jean Little and Holy Trinity also provide service before school starts.
Extended-day child care for a full-time child costs $16.30 per day. Two staff members oversee the 20 children.
Kim Daw, manager of child-care services, said the YMCA issued surveys to parents to gauge interest in expanding their services.
"The need was there," she said, noting the demand surpassed the 20 available spaces in each school.
The Ontario government is set to finish rolling out full-day kindergarten by the 2014-15 school year, prompting a need for more extended-day services, Daw said.
Karen Higginbottom's six-year-old daughter, Hannah, has been enrolled in extended-day child care for two years.
When her daughter was in junior kindergarten, Higginbottom said she had to shuttle her "back and forth, back and forth" to the main Y centre on Woodland Glen Drive.
"It was really hectic," she said.
Higginbottom said she appreciated having child care under one roof when she transferred her daughter to King George Public School.
"I think it's a great idea," she said regarding Guelph Y's expanded services. "It's a seamless transition from before and after school."
The Guelph Y is the largest provider of child care in the city. It operates 780 licensed spaces in 13 sites altogether, which range from infant care to school-age.
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