Ancaster Meadow
Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, School Age
Weekdays from 7:00am to 6:00pm
Umbrella child care programs are located within Ancaster Meadow Elementary School
Offering families affordable, inclusive, and nurturing environments where children explore, learn, and grow, realizing their full potential.
Full Day Care for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Before & After School Care
Nutritious Food & Snacks Provided
Drop off as early as 7am, Pick-up as late as 6 pm
PA Day and School Break Programs
City Subsidy Accepted
Program Photos
Our programs at Umbrella Ancaster Meadow provide a variety of experiences for children based on their interests, inquiries, and developing skills.
Educators use the Ministry of Education document “How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years” as a guide in supporting developmentally appropriate practice. Programs are centred around four foundations for optimal learning and healthy development: Belonging, Well-Being, Engagement, and Expression.
We have been enrolled with Umbrella for 5+ years. It has been a great experience for my kids and for us as parents. We are very fortunate to have such quality programming right in our own school, close to home.
Umbrella Parent
We use Storypark to involve you in your child’s learning journey.
The Storypark app allows educators to communicate with individual families, send messages to groups and share information about children’s daily routines. Most importantly, they can share stories highlighting the incredible play-based learning experiences that children engage in throughout the day.
Sand exploration
As the children were engaged in playing in the sensory bin, they showed different interests in how they interacted with the activity. One child was interested in playing with the toy animals that were found while another was enthralled with using a scoop to pour sand into the sifter and watch it fall through. Others enjoyed using the rakes to lift and pour the sand. In any experience that is offered, it’s always amazing to see how each child will play differently!
How can I enroll my child?
The first step is to visit our online portal and enter your care request. The portal will show you the locations that are closest to your address for the program/age you need for your child.
Subsidy accepted here :)
Families can apply for Child Care Fee Subsidy through the City of Hamilton, which helps with the cost of licensed child care. Families may continue to be responsible for a daily fee, but the amount is based on the individual circumstances of the family.
FAQ
If you have any questions that are not covered here or in our Program Handbook, please contact info@umbrellafamily.com
Umbrella’s child care centres are located throughout the Greater Hamilton Area and are operated within Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board schools. Please visit our Locations page for a full list of centres and the programs offered.
The first step is to visit our online portal and enter your care request (program, start date, etc.)
Once your request is received, staff will get back to you regarding availability and next steps. (This process also is how you are added to our waitlist.)
When a child care space in our programs is offered and accepted, families must complete the full registration package (provided by the centre) and pay a non-refundable administrative fee, of $50.00 per child.
A date will be set up for a play visit. During the visit, educators will have an opportunity to observe your child interacting with others and provide you with information to determine the level of support the child may require in adjusting to the program.
After the child has been attending for six weeks, an opportunity will be provided for the Supervisor, staff member(s) and parents/guardians to discuss the child’s adjustment to the program. This provides both parties with an opportunity to ask questions, share information and ideas, and determine whether the centre is able to meet the child and his/her family’s needs.
When all spaces in Umbrella Family and Child Centres (UFCC) are full, UFCC is committed to maintaining a wait list that ensures respect for each family and maintains their confidentiality. This is done in a fair, equitable and transparent manner. Parents may request information as to their child’s position on the wait list at any time from the site’s Supervisor.
In accordance with the Collective Agreement between UFCC and CUPE Local 3491, priority is given to employees’ children on the wait list. Whenever possible, priority is also given to siblings of children already registered in a UFCC program or to children transferring from one UFCC program to another.
UFCC does not request or require a fee or deposit from families for placement on the wait list.
Our current fees and a schedule of upcoming payments can be found here.
Please refer to our fee policies. If you have any further questions on these policies, please speak to your centre Supervisor regarding our policy on payment during these periods.
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