Tri-Cities YMCA switches gears during coronavirus to provide emergency child care

As a nonprofit, the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Cities has never shied away from helping those in need — even if it costs the organization financially.

But it got a $10,000 boost from the Rotary Club of Pasco-Kennewick and the Rotary’s District 5080 — which serves Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.

When Gov. Jay Inslee announced the stay-home mandate in March to help combat the coronavirus outbreak, essential workers and first responders still had to go to work.

But with the sudden school closures, many of those families were suddenly searching for affordable child care.

Steve Howland, the executive director of the YMCA, said his staff didn’t missed a beat.

“On March 17, the YMCA transitioned into providing emergency child care for first responders and other essential employees without raising our rates and providing scholarships to any family that needed assistance,” Howland said. “Many providers just ceased providing care, while others increased their rates dramatically.”

However, Howland said the Y kept its rates the same. They had 94 different children enrolled, with 55 kids showing up every day.

“Most of their parents were essential workers,” Howland said. “Police, fire, hospital workers, were about 40 percent of the parents.”

Nurses from Kadlec and Trios called the YMCA to get their children into the program.

The YMCA immediately transitioned to emergency child care sites at six Kennewick elementary schools and the two YMCA preschools.

Based on social distancing regulations from the state Department of Health, changes had to be made to operations including limit group sizes to 10.

“We had to have a reduced staff ratio, with more staff members working with fewer kids,” said Howland. “We started at five sites, but now we’re open at three sites.”

He said the reduction of sites is because more parents are working from home.

But those changes mean an increase in operational costs of an estimated $39,000 in direct staff expenses that didn’t include taxes, benefits and overhead.

“With us not raising rates for March and April and providing scholarships to many of the families needing care, it greatly reduced the income to provide care,” Howland said. “While we are committed to being here for the duration of the crisis, we need the assistance of the community to maintain these programs.”

While Howland is a member of the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary club, he was asked to apply for grants as were several other members.

“The Rotary year goes from July 1 to June 30, and we look for projects to help on,” said Kris Troyer, Foundation Chair for the Pasco-Kennewick Rotary. “We go all year long looking for projects.”

Howland’s proposal got unanimous support.

“We felt with the COVID-19 pandemic, that essential workers and first responders needing childcare was very important,” Troyer said. “I was impressed with what the YMCA was doing.”