Child Care Centres 'Under the Umbrella'

Every family is unique…and so are their child care needs! ‘Under the Umbrella’, we are proud to offer a variety of services to children and their families in 23 elementary schools. This includes the new centres that opened September 2008 offering School Age Programs at Balaclava, Greensville and Winona!

Full Programs

When there is a child care centre within the school building, we are able to offer a wide range of services to families.

Universal Preschool

A free, 2 ½ hour preschool program is currently available in some schools in the east end of Hamilton. This pilot program is fully funded by the City of Hamilton, and is only available to children living within the boundaries of the schools identified.

School Age

School Age programs offer children a ‘seamless day’. Parents may drop their children off at the school as early as 7:30 am and pick them up as late as 6:00 pm.

The following chart quickly identifies the various services available at each site:

Centre	Toddler	Preschool	Universal Preschool	JK/SK	School Age	Summer Camp
Ancaster Meadow
Cathy Wever
Dundana
Dundas Central
Elizabeth Bagshaw
Gatestone
Glen Echo
Gordon Price
Greensville
Helen Detwiler
Hillcrest
James MacDonald
Lawfield
Lincoln Alexander
Memorial
Mountview
Prince of Wales
Queensdale
Ray Lewis
Sir Wilfred Laurier
Templemead
Winona

Licensing

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services license each program ‘under the Umbrella’. The Day Nurseries Act and its accompanying regulations form the basis for the licensing procedure. Each centre is inspected annually, and a renewal license is issued provided all requirements (including fire, health and zoning) are met. The license is displayed in the centre for parents to view, along with an information poster from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services entitled “It’s Your Child’s Care’. Please feel free to ask staff members for details about our programs or licensing requirements.

Staffing

Qualified early childhood educators are responsible for planning and implementing all preschool and kindergarten programs ‘under the Umbrella’.

School Age Programs (before and after school, camps, etc.) are staffed by a variety of people with a range of skills—Early Childhood Educators, University Students who have an interest (--and related experience!) in working with young children, Recreation and Leisure graduates, Child and Youth Workers, etc.

Staff Ratios

Note: Programs for all age groups are not offered in every centre

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