Several child-care options available for Peters parents
With the possibility of the Peters Township School District teachers strike lasting until Nov. 27, South Hills YMCA is offering all-day day care for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
“We thought there was a need,” said Ryan Hove, executive director of the YMCA.
The district’s 285 teachers began walking picket lines Wednesday after failing to agree on a new contract and could remain off their jobs for a month. The two sides are meeting Nov. 6 in downtown Pittsburgh in an attempt to end the work stoppage.
In the interim, many parents of school-age children are scrambling to find day care alternatives for their children. The district has an enrollment of 4,300 at its three elementary schools, one middle and one high school.
The YMCA said its child-care program will be similar to its summer day camp service. The children will be able to participate in nature studies, reading, team-building exercises, as well as basketball and other sports. The program will begin Monday at the Family Sports Complex, 2825 South Park Road, Bethel Park.
Parents can drop off their children between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and pick them up between 4:30 and 6 p.m. The YMCA is offering a three-day rate of $90 and a five-day rate of $150. For more information, visit www.ymcapgh.org/peters.
“We will be doing this as long as the strike lasts,” Hove said.
Center Church Christian Preschool, 255 Center Church Road, McMurray, is offering a program for children in kindergarten through second grade from noon until 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Tuesday. Children can bring their lunches and participate in fun and academically centered activities. The cost of the program is $40 a week. For more information, visit www.center-church.org.
Also, St. Benedict the Abbot Church, 120 Abington Drive, McMurray, is opening the Pope Benedict Center Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. until noon. There will be teens playing games and helping children with crafts. This is open to all Peters residents, not just parishioners.
If you know of a church or organization offering childcare during the strike, email selliott@thealmanac.net.