A new child care center located across from Johns
Hopkins at Eastern is about to accept its first kids. The
university's registration period for the center at the
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg YMCA at Stadium Place is now
under way. The 7,000-square-foot facility will have space
for 92 children ages 2 to 5 years, and the university has
negotiated that up to 50 slots be reserved for the children
of full-time JHU faculty and staff.
The new YMCA, set to open in September, is located on
the former site of Memorial Stadium and is part of a
30-acre redevelopment that includes senior housing.
On Thursday, May 6, the Office of WorkLife Programs
will host a brown bag lunch at noon at Johns Hopkins at
Eastern's room C-100 for university employees to learn more
about the center and to register. A Homewood campus brown
bag lunch will be held at noon on Wednesday, May 12, in the
Great Hall of Levering.
The 53,000-square-foot Stadium Place YMCA will become
the flagship facility of the YMCA of Central Maryland,
which currently provides day-care services for
approximately 4,000 children. It will feature a swimming
pool, wellness center, gymnasium and multipurpose and
meeting rooms, and will offer community programming,
including tutoring, mentoring and youth athletic
leagues.
The child care center, which was not part of the
original plan for the new facility, was made possible by a
commitment of funds and support from both Johns Hopkins and
Union Memorial Hospital, whose employees will have access
to 20 slots.
"Child care is an important issue for our employees,
and we are always looking at ways to assist with
solutions," said Charlene Moore Hayes, the university's
vice president for human resources. "We realize that we
cannot meet all of their needs, but we are pleased to add
this service to their list of options."
The center's hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Regular care is considered 9 to 10 hours per day. The
center will have an "open door" policy regarding
visitation, and the YMCA encourages parents to stop by the
center as often as they wish.
Tuition costs for full-time care for 2-year-olds is
$135 weekly, and $120 per-week for 3-year-olds. Half-day
care for pre-K children will cost $85 per week.
Chris Ader-Soto, vice president for children and
family services and community development at the YMCA of
Central Maryland, said that the state-of-the-art child care
center is designed to meet the needs of families and
provide a safe, nurturing environment. The center, she
said, will promote educational and developmental
activities, in addition to physical exercises and fun.
"This center will feature a holistic program, and we
will offer a development-appropriate and literature-rich
curriculum," Ader-Soto said. "We focus on character
development here, as we feel that is just as important an
any other facet of development. Children will learn to
participate in a whole myriad of activities, as we strive
to meet the needs of the whole child."
Applications for JHU's reserved slots will be accepted
through May 24. Applications received after May 24 will be
included in the community enrollment period, which begins
June 1. If necessary, a lottery will be held to determine
who receives the available openings. The lottery for JHU
slots will be held on May 26. Employees selected will be
notified by phone and sent an information package starting
on May 28.
Applications may also be made for part-time care (two
to three days per week), but full-time (five days a week)
applications for care will receive priority. Drop-in care
will be provided on a space-available basis. Parents must
preregister and call in advance to verify if an opening is
available.
WorkLife Programs will have limited voucher program
funds that can be used at the YMCA center for eligible JHU
employees. Household incomes that fall between $40,000 to
$50,000 will be eligible for a 20 percent discount, and
household incomes that fall under $40,000 will be eligible
for a 40 percent discount.
Applications for voucher program funds can be found at
www.hopkinsworklife.org and must be submitted directly
to WorkLife Programs.
Application for the child care center are available at
www.ymcamd.org/Branches/StadiumPlace%20.html. The application,
plus a $40 registration fee, must be mailed to the YMCA.
For more information on the child care center, contact
Chris Ader-Soto at 410-837-9622, ext. 242 or
chrisadersoto@ymcamd.org.