BRATTLEBORO — While most kids are excited to hear that schools are closed on a snow day, for working parents the announcement brings a lot of stress. Meeting Waters YMCA has a solution. For the 15th year, the regional Y is offering its Snow Day Program in Brattleboro.
The Snow Day Program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on days when schools are closed because of inclement weather.
The program, which takes place at Oak Grove School, offers indoor and outdoor physical activity, arts projects, and other enrichment activities for children from kindergarten through age 10. The cost is $30 per day, which includes two healthy snacks and all program supplies. Child Care Subsidy is accepted and Meeting Waters YMCA offers financial assistance from its Reach Out to Youth fund.
This innovative program was developed by Meeting Waters YMCA in 2001 after the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce and Windham Child Care Association gathered business leaders, youth program providers, and educators to discuss the challenges faced by area businesses and their employees on days when schools have an unanticipated closing for snow or other reasons.
The Snow Day Program functions in much the same way that Y-ASPIRE does on school vacations, teacher conference days, and holidays.
Also the same, according to Program Director Sue Fortier, is the reliability, quality, and focus on enrichment. “Just like Y-ASPIRE, the Snow Day Program will involve children in a variety of activities that are fun, educational, and engaging,” she said. “Parents can go to work while their child learns and has fun.”
Enrollment in the program is limited to 20 children. The enrollment deadline is Friday, Dec. 18. If fewer than 12 children are enrolled by that date, the program will be cancelled.
The Snow Day Program combines with the Meeting Waters YMCA's Y-ASPIRE and Y Day Camp to provide year-round “out-of-school” care for school-age children and their working parents from the Brattleboro area.