WESTFIELD, MA. (WGGB/WSHM) – Last-minute school cancellations may have left some families in a tight spot for childcare on Tuesday. What may be good news for kids to hear when school is cancelled or delayed could be some parents’ worst nightmare. The storm caught many people off guard and unprepared when multiple districts cancelled classes and left some parents scrambling to find last-minute childcare.
“We start at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. and we have a full array of activities for science, technology, engineering, and math. I believe they’re swimming right now, which is a really cool thing to do on a snow day, so you know, parents can go to work knowing that their kids are in a safe, productive environment,” said Andrea Allard, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Westfield.
Allard told us that, when school is cancelled, they may get as many as 20 to 40 children, but they are always well prepared to take in as many as they can and it is easy for parents to apply.
“If the children are already enrolled in our program, there’s nothing to do except come in that day and just sign up, drop a little piece of paper off at sign-in and they’re good to go,” Allard explained.
Meanwhile, the decision to cancel school is up to each district. Western Mass News reached out to Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, who explained their decision to go with a snow day and said in a statement, in part:
If you are interested in signing your child up for YMCA’s before and after school program, you can simply walk in and fill out an application.
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