Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kodiak YMCA outlines rapid school-based childcare expansion, asks district to preserve shared space
Summary
Erica Thompson Blondin of the Kodiak YMCA told the school board the organization launched school-based after‑school and summer childcare at East and Peterson, will license a Maine site June 1, has capacity for 134 students (excluding Maine), and received a $100,000 investment from the Rasmuson Foundation to support staffing and scholarships.
Erica Thompson Blondin, child care director for Kodiak YMCA, told the Kodiak Island Borough School District Board of Education that the YMCA has launched school‑based childcare at East and Peterson and plans to open a third licensed site at Maine on June 1.
“Right now, we have 2 active sites. We have East and Peterson,” Thompson Blondin said, adding the combined program capacity (not including Maine) is 134 students and the YMCA employs 16 local staff with hiring ongoing for summer programs. She said the program has provided financial assistance to more than two dozen children and is using a shared‑use memorandum of agreement with the district to operate inside school buildings.
The presentation detailed how embedding childcare in schools removes transportation barriers and increases access for working families. Thompson Blondin said the YMCA started at East on Oct. 13 with eight students and grew to 22; Peterson opened Feb. 1. The YMCA also reported serving dozens of children through day camps and temporary care placements.
School officials and YMCA staff highlighted financial and operational supports that made the rapid launch possible. Thompson Blondin said the Rasmuson Foundation provided a $100,000 investment and that the YMCA is using a shared‑use agreement with KIBSD that allows program space at no rent in exchange for program benefits such as reduced‑rate in‑service care for district staff.
Board members asked about outreach and enrollment. Duncan Fields noted a disconnect between perceived childcare need and current enrollment; Thompson Blondin said some families had already made other arrangements before the YMCA could launch but expects additional families to enroll before the next school year. She described a tiered scholarship process: families are asked to apply for outside subsidies first and then the YMCA applies an internal scholarship “membership for all” for those who still need help.
The YMCA also described staffing ties to the district: paraprofessionals and teacher‑prep graduates from Kodiak staff the program and some employees already worked in district schools. The board and administration said they will include YMCA information in district communications and noted a ribbon‑cutting planned June 3 to mark the program’s first anniversary under the MOA.
The board did not take a vote on new commitments during the presentation but members praised the collaboration and asked administration to keep the board apprised as enrollment and licensing progress.
