YMCA Child Care
We’re excited to welcome your family and walk alongside your child as they learn, discover, and grow.
The YMCA of Three Rivers is proud to provide safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments that encourage child development, learning, and discovery through play. The YMCA is Canada’s largest not-for-profit child care provider. Our programs are based on the latest research in child development and rooted in community engagement.
At YMCA of Three Rivers Child Care, we:
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Create a sense of belonging by helping children cultivate authentic and caring relationships and connections with caregivers and peers
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Ensure child well-being by nurturing healthy development and supporting individuals’ growing sense of self
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Provide children with environments and experiences that engage them in active, creative, and meaningful exploration
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Help foster communication and expression in all forms
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Offer both licensed child care programs and unlicensed authorized recreation programs
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Adhere to all regulations and standards set out by the Child Care and Early Years Act
To ensure that all families have access to safe, licensed child care, all of our centres have subsidy agreements with their local regions. Learn more about fee assist here.
Our Aim
We view child care as an essential service to families across the Three Rivers’ communities (Guelph-Wellington, Stratford-Perth, and Waterloo Region). Our aim is to provide opportunities for families and children to thrive. We do this by investing in community partnerships and promoting healthy living through accessible and sustainable quality programming. To support our families, we engage in open and honest dialogue, capture feedback, and assess existing and emerging needs.
Our staff are qualified, skilled, experienced, and passionate Registered Early Childhood Educators*. They take pride in providing exceptional care and learning to the families we serve. Continuous professional development ensures our educators have the knowledge to support all children and families, as well as meet individual needs through a variety of approaches and strategies. We’ve aligned our program goals to the four foundations set out by the Ministry of Education’s Professional Resource Learning Guide: belonging, well-being, engagement, and expression.
*The College of Early Childhood Educators is the professional self-regulatory body for Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECE) in Ontario. The college’s role is to protect the public interest by setting requirements for registration to practice as a RECE, setting ethical and professional standards, and holding RECEs accountable for their practice. RECEs are trained in child development and the planning and delivery of play-based learning and care programs. YMCA staff with an early childhood education diploma or equivalent qualifications must be current members of the CECE in good standing. RECEs must renew their memberships with CECE on an annual basis.