Before & After School Program

The District periodically reviews our programs to assess student safety, operational efficiency, and compliance with all State laws and regulations.  To ensure full compliance with requirements for before and after school child care programming, we have decided to partner with the YMCA.  The YMCA offers licensed school age child care programs throughout WNY.  This partnership helps ensure that the programs are operating safely, efficiently, and in compliance with our state's requirements.

No.  The convenience of the program will be the same - including the hours of service and that it will continue to take place right at our 5 elementary schools.

No.  The YMCA does not require full time attendance.  Families can register for part time (1-3 days per week) or full time (4-5 days per week).  A set schedule is required, however (i.e. enrollment for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, for example).  This is done to ensure that the program meets NYS requirements for student to staff ratios.  In order to allow for the flexibility of month-to-month registration for the days needed, the program would need to be overstaffed to ensure there are always enough staff members to meet the ever-changing ratio.  Increasing staff would have driven the rates higher.  The District and the YMCA are committed to making this as affordable as possible for families.

For occasional child care or for a schedule that is irregular, families may find that a babysitter or other solution might be a better fit.  We are sharing this information with families as soon as possible to allow months to find a different solution if this program is not the right fit for a family or their child care needs.

We hope so!  We value relationships and want to provide our students with familiar faces and the staff they have come to know and trust.  We held staff information sessions on June 8, 2026, and our staff has been encouraged to transition to the YMCA to provide familiarity to our students.  Many of them have already begun this process.

Below is a price comparison, based on our current rates for the Before and After School Program.  Had we kept our program through Community Education, the rates would have increased for next year.  Financial assistance is available to those who qualify, and members of the YMCA receive discounted pricing.

Yes!  Unlike our current before and after school program, families will have access to additional YMCA resources, programs, and family opportunities.  Families can register for “vacation camp” when school is not in session, such as during winter recess, spring break and the summer.  These programs are hosted at the Southtowns YMCA on Southwestern Blvd.

The YMCA will offer care on half days for an additional fee.  Registration for the half day will open online one month in advance of the day and stay open for 3 weeks (for example, for a half day on December 4th, registration opens on November 4th and closes on November 25th).  Registrations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.  After school care on half days is not included in the standard tuition.

The YMCA Program Leaders (Jessie Bari, Executive Director of School Age Child Care Programs and Dana Makin, School Age Child Care Director) will be hosting a virtual Parent Information Session on Tuesday, June 16th at 6:30 PM (here is the link to join: https://tinyurl.com/42jrcw58).

Parents can also learn more about the program by visiting the YMCA’s website:

https://www.ymcabn.org/programs/child-care/after-school-care

Parents with questions can also reach out to:

Jessie Bari, Executive Director of School Age Child Care Programs by phone: (716) 501-5407 or email.

The District can provide transportation to licensed child care facilities (i.e. day care centers) within the District, and many child care facilities offer before and after school child care.  If you register your child in a licensed child care program, you must notify the Transportation Department by July 1 so we can ensure bus pick up and/or drop off at this location.

As we look forward to the 2027-2028 school year, we anticipate the opening of the West Seneca Boys & Girls Club, located in the Winchester School on Harlem Road.  This will be another option for families.