Y-Kids
Before & After School Child Care
The Kankakee Area YMCA's Y-Kids program is here for those who need before and after school care for school-aged children in our area. Working with the Kankakee County schools, we have developed a program to serve many children!
This year, we are offering our before and after school child care on-site at Kennedy Middle School to serve Kankakee School District 111, Liberty and Shepard to serve Bourbonnais School District 53, Bradley East to serve Bradley School District 61 and Bonfield Elementary School to serve Herscher School District 2.
Please click the buttons below to view more details about how to register, rates, and more.
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Our Promise
We're the YMCA. Meeting the needs of children, strengthening families, and building strong communities have always been, and remain central to the YMCA mission. As a part of this mission, we promise that YMCA child care programs will:
Assist children in developing positive attitudes of caring, respect, honesty, and responsibility for themselves and others.
Offer programs that are safe, enriching, and developmentally appropriate. We challenge children to grow in imagination, creativity, self-directed initiative, and leadership.
Employ caring people who are trained to help children set limits and develop their own self-control. Staff will become counselors to the children, developing friendships that promote trust, sharing, and openness.
Supplement the child's experience at school and home, creating partnerships with school staff and parents.
Enable families of all income levels to participate in all YMCA programs, including child care. No one will be turned away due to the inability to pay.
Focus on individual children and help them, one life at a time.
Program Elements
An array of daily learning experiences in the program can be found in our Activity Centers. These choices, based on age-appropriate activities in a child-centered, fun environment, offer our children a chance to learn, to imagine, to relax—a chance to grow. 
- Dramatic Play
- Creative Art
- Quiet Time
- Active Games
- Manipulative and Table Games
- Building
- Music
- Discovery & Science
Character Development
The four core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility form the basis for all activities in the Kankakee Area YMCA Child Care Program. Our staff model YMCA values and assist children in developing positive attitudes based on these core values.
School's Out Days
The YMCA offers full day care on days that area school's are closed but the Y is open. Child care is available at the YMCA on these days from 6:30am-6:00pm. The YMCA provides lunch & a snack. Children will have the opportunity to swim (don't forget your suit and towel!), play in our Gym, Kid Fit Zone & Aerobics Studio. Children will also spend time outdoors, weather permitting. Please see payment options above for pricing. A completed Y-Kids packet and pre-registration is required.
