Overview

Child Care programs at the YMCA are focused on meeting the social, emotional, and academic needs of our young learners so they can grow into the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow. YMCA Child Care is a place for children to explore, learn, and grow in an environment where they will feel safe, cared for, and celebrated. We believe in full transparency because your peace of mind is our priority.

Additional Information

Age Groups & Ratios

• Infant Care: 6 weeks – 16 months of age. Staff members build positive individual relationships with at least one adult for every four infants.
• Toddler Care: 16 - 33 months of age. Classroom experiences develop self-control, cooperation and communication skills in a nurturing environment that includes at least one adult for every seven toddlers.
• Preschool Care: 33 months – 5 years. Children get the attention they need as they gear up for structured classroom experiences with at least one adult for every ten preschool learners.
• Kindergarten Readiness: 4 – 5 years. Students can develop the social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills they need for kindergarten.

Curriculum

• Fun & Creative Play-Based Curriculum: Over 200 extremely qualified childcare professionals contributed to the construction of this play-based curriculum. The flexibility, ease of use and researched methods allow every child to learn, grow and thrive.
• Silly Name, Serious Curriculum!: Funnydaffer provides a complete curriculum that takes the busy work and stress out of lesson planning which allows more time for teachers to work with children.
• Personalized Instruction: Our curriculum is designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles to ensure each child succeeds. We provide a very large platform from which to build a comprehensive approach to delivering curriculum. Our lesson plans are designed to let children discover, invent, pretend and challenge themselves.
• Approved for Use in Accredited Schools.

Parent Communication

• Updates Through Brightwheel: Every YMCA Child Care classroom has an iPad with the Brightwheel app. This easy-to-use tool allows our teachers to send real-time messages directly to parents and guardians, share daily activity logs, including meals, naps, learning activities, and more, and upload photos so you can see the fun your child is having throughout the day. Brightwheel also stores your contact information, including email and phone number, so we can quickly reach you if needed.

Sibling Discounts

• Families with three or more children actively enrolled in the YMCA Child Care program receive a 25% discount on tuition. This discount is applied to the weekly tuition of the oldest child, helping to make quality child care a little more affordable for larger families.

Drop-In & Short-Term Care

• Alexandria Area YMCA Child Care is pleased to offer drop-in and short-term child care to families Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
• Drop-in care is available to families who need temporary, as-needed care. Care is subject to availability from week to week, and may differ by age group. These spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Short-term care may be utilized when consecutive child care is needed for small chunks of time. Care is available based on current enrollment numbers and may differ by age group. A non-refundable deposit is required upon reserving a short-term spot. Contracted child care rates apply.
• New families are required to submit all enrollment and payment forms 24-48 hours prior to the first day of care beginning.

Parent Aware Rating

• 4-Star Parent Aware Facility: When a program participates in the Parent Aware Star Rating process, they are letting their stars shine. They volunteer for extra training and professional development to go above and beyond basic health and safety licensing requirements.

Child Care Sites

• YMCA Child Care Center:
  • 110 Karl Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308
  • Age Group: Infants (16 capacity, 2 classrooms), Toddlers (28 capacity, 2 classrooms), Preschool (40 capacity, 2 classrooms), Pre-K (40 capacity, 2 classrooms).
  • 35 Staff Members.
• Nelson Care Center by Vivie:
  • 420 12th Ave E, Alexandria, MN 56308
  • Age Group: Infants (16 capacity, 2 classrooms), Toddlers (14 capacity, 1 classroom), Preschool (20 capacity, 1 classroom).
  • 12 Staff Members.
  • Intergenerational Programming: Unifying Our Community Through Intergenerational Programming at Knute Nelson fosters skill-sharing between generations. Children bring joy and spirit to residents, keeping them young at heart, while residents' attention helps children flourish. Kids visit weekly, sing, and use the hallways as classrooms, calling residents their "grand buddies."

Current Openings

• Short-Term Openings:
  • Infant (6 weeks – 16 months): Nelson Care Center (Feb 2026, Mar 2026), YMCA (Dec 2025).
  • Toddler (17 months – 32 months): Nelson Care Center (Dec 2025), YMCA (Dec 2025, Dec 2025 – Jan 2026).
  • Preschool (33 months - 4 years): Nelson Care Center (Dec 2025 – Jan 2026), YMCA (Dec 2025).
• Full-Time Openings:
  • Infant (6 weeks – 16 months): Nelson Care Center (Jan 2026, Feb 2026), YMCA (March 2026).
  • Preschool (33 months - 4 years): Nelson Care Center YMCA (Immediate).

Typical Day for a Preschooler (Partial Schedule)

• 6:30 – 8:00 a.m.: Arrival & Morning Free Play
• 8:00 – 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast