YMCA Tauranga starts Before School Care programme

As the economic downturn continues to force families to tighten already taut belts, many parents are having to find creative ways to make ends meet, including working longer hours, taking on shift work, or finding a second (or third) job.
But simply finding work in the early morning hours is not a straight forward solution when children are involved. Many schools do not open and officially start providing supervision until 8 am, making it tough for parents if they wish to head into work earlier.
To help with the changing needs of its working parents, the YMCA Tauranga is now providing Before School Care (BSC) at its Mount Maunganui and Welcome Bay locations.
“Families are really doing it tough out there so we put our heads together to see what we at the YMCA could do to help,” said YMCA Operations Manager Theo Ursum.
“After polling our After School Care parents for interest and fielding numerous requests for Before School Care, we found we had sufficient demand to warrant its implementation.”
Opening at 7 am, kids are provided with a healthy breakfast of cereal, toast and fruit, as well as engaging activities to wake up the mind and body. There is also the opportunity to complete any last minute homework before YMCA staff start delivering participants to surrounding schools in time for the first bell.
“As with all our OSCAR programmes, we’ve placed a lot of emphasis on ensuring our BSC kids are eating healthily and getting a balanced variety of mental stimulation,” said Ursum. “It is also very affordable at only $13 a day. For that the kids are getting to school on-time and well nourished.”