YMCA expands child care for essential workers to more districts

Children from infancy to age 12 can receive care.

To cancel.

School is out, but for those battling coronavirus on the frontlines -- work is still on.

To help - the ymca has partnered with districts in our area to offer critical child care.

As kezi 9 news reporter emma jerome shares, it's an option that provides much needed relief for families in need.

0:00 0:15 0:24 chelsea whitney: "my first thought was how am i going to make this happen?"

Emma jerome: "empty parking lots and abandoned playgrounds are what you'll find at most schools these days, but with that lack of school some parents are scrambling for child care.

Enter the ymca" brian steffen "there's hundreds of families in the community right now who need this type of care because workers and families are out there being heroes working for our community" the critical care program is an expansion of pre- exsting services which also offers distance learning support for children of health care workers, first responders, and essential workers they have 289 spaces for children at multiple different sites one of those sites being holt elementary where whitney's child is but this is not a 4j exclusive program - the ymca has partnered with 4j, springfield public school, south lane school district, bethel, as well as some rural area schools while keeping the children in their care - the ymca is also following strict health guidelines chelsea whitney: "every morning there's a health screening -- the kids get a temperature check.

Even as a parent i'm not allowed in the building.

Brian steffen: " in the program we are maximizing outdoor play as much as possible and when children are in a closer group such as a meal time we are ensuring that they're social distancing and physical distancing" freeing the familie's minds of worry while they are out there fighting to keeo our community safe -- in eugene emma jerome kezi 9