ROANOKE, Va. – The YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge is trying to help fill the child care cap this fall, but they need more staff to do it.
On Tuesday, August 4, Thursday, August 6 and Saturday, August 8 there will be a virtual job fair to meet the demand.
YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge plans to hire for positions within all its regions; Roanoke, Salem, Daleville and Lexington.
Since March, the YMCA has supported working families with childcare and they don’t plan to end it in the fall.
Many schools will be learning in-person some days and virtual the others, so over the past several weeks YMCA branches have been working closely with local school districts to assess needs.
Branch executive for Gainsboro YMCA, Jonathan Pait, said the number of staff they want to hire depends on how many kids and childcare sites they will have.
“We’ve reached out to four or five different churches and if those churches commit to us and say ‘Yes you can use our facility,’ then right away we would need staff to fill those programs that would be located at those churches,” Pait said.
The job fair is to hire for their usual after-school programs but the greatest need is childcare on virtual school days to help with kids of teachers and other working families.
Pait said not being able to provide a place for local kids once school starts can have a lasting impact.
“That puts the parents in a very vicarious position where they have to choose between ‘Am I going to go to work or am I going to not work and provide for childcare for my kids,’” said Pait.
To register online click here or email info@ymcavbr.org.