Kindergarten Child Care
For children aged 3.6 years to 5 years
Before School Programs
Monday to Friday
7am until morning school bell
After School Programs
Monday to Friday
School dismissal until 6pm
Locations Across Hamilton
We operate full day early learning and child care centres for infant, toddler and preschool children, as well as before and after school programs for kindergarten and school age children. All Umbrella programs are located within Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) facilities.
A ‘seamless day’
Our Before and After School Programs for Kindergarten children provide a ‘seamless day’, ensuring families have a safe, caring and convenient option for care before and after school. Children in this stage are developing vital social-emotional skills that are needed to be successful in school and beyond. Our Kindergarten programs focus on understanding emotions and learning how to regulate as well as manage social situations. Like our full day programs, our educators offer experiences and learning opportunities that are child-led and based on the children’s interests and needs.
The staff is always available, welcoming and happy to work with the kids. My boys feel special and excited to attend.
Parent - Umbrella Ray Lewis
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.
Request PA Day Care for the 2022/23 school year
Our online portal is open for requests for PA Day Care. PA Day Programs are offered in select schools. If PA Care is not available in your child’s school, the online portal will offer you a choice of locations where care is available. Children are placed for optional programs on a first-come, first-served basis.
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
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.
The City of Hamilton (Public Health and Social Services Department) provides child care subsidies to eligible families, depending on a number of variables. In order to obtain child care subsidy, parents must schedule an appointment with the Child Care Subsidy department, where they will be asked a number of questions to determine their eligibility. Parents may continue to be responsible for a daily fee, but it is based on the individual circumstances of the family. For more information, please click 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.
Join our mailing list!
Sign-up to be notified of important information and updates from Umbrella.