Centerville schools to vote on partnership with YMCA for child care programs

Centerville’s Board of Education will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Centerville High School South Unit Commons, 500 E Franklin St., to discuss and vote on the proposed partnership.

The district said it is not paying the Y for the partnership.

“Families that utilize the before or after school program will pay the YMCA directly,” according to Centerville schools.

The proposed partnership with the Y would enable Centerville schools to support families by offering additional services, help protect the program from future cuts, and reduce district costs related to the program, such as managing payroll, worker’s compensation, and liability insurance, the district said.

“The Y would take on those responsibilities and has committed to matching employee pay, and in some cases, increasing pay dependent on qualifications and career pathway levels for licensed child care providers,” it said.

The school district is developing a partnership with an outside organization by proposing a collaboration with the Y to provide before and after school child care services.

“Under this partnership, a member of the district leadership team will oversee the contract between the district and the Y to ensure coordination and accountability,” the district said. “This administrator will also maintain regular communication with the Y’s child care leadership team to support ongoing operations.

Under the agreement, the Y would provide support staff to the district five days a week for about two hours each day. Its role is to build connections during the school day, helping to improve the care and supervision available to students beyond regular school hours.

A partnership between a school district and the YMCA is not a new concept.

Kettering schools in spring 2022 announced a three-year deal with the YMCA after the late Scott Inskeep, its superintendent at the time, said staff shortages prompted the district to contract for the services. For years, Kettering schools had run an in-house before- and after-school child care program for district families.