YMCAs have been part of family life in the United States since the first one opened its doors in the Old South Church in Boston in 1851.

As family life has changed to keep pace with broader changes in the culture, so has the Y. In a world where more often than not both parents leave home every day for work, childcare is not a luxury. Here in the Mid-coast the Bath Area Family YMCA serves that need for about 150 children. There are three main categories of childcare available to parents: Preschool, school age and childwatch (membership baby sitting).

Preschool

The Preschool program offers an enrichment curriculum in which each child is encouraged to learn new skills, express themselves freely and explore the environment. Teachers promote activities that help children learn risk taking and build self-confidence.

The Y participates in the national 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go program to foster healthier lifestyles. The 5 refers to the number of daily servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 to the hours of “screen time,” 1 signifying an hour of active play and zero (i.e., none) the number of allowable sugared snacks.

School Age Program

The school age program takes place at the schools of RSU 1 ( Woolwich Community School, Dike Newell School, Fisher Mitchell School — which includes Phippsburg and Georgetown schools) and Coffin Elementary School in Brunswick. These state licensed programs allow children an opportunity to interact with peers in the school setting, explore child-centered areas, experiment with art, enjoy a nutritious snack, receive help with homework, participate in school-directed after-school activities, play in the gym, and engage in physical activity both indoors and outside.

Childwatch

Childwatch is a membership babysitting program that is available from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and evenings from 5-6:30 p.m. Members must register at the front desk and space is filled on a first comefirst served.

In charge of this vast childhood domain is Kelly Howard, who presides over the day-to-day operations from a tiny office in one of two classrooms set aside for the preschool programs. To work with the children, Howard employs 22 aides, some of whom work split shifts to accommodate the childwatch hours that begin as early as 6 a.m. In addition, the children get exposed to what some call life-enhancing skills such as swimming lessons, gymnastics instruction and music.

The guiding principle of the Y’s childcare program is summed up by the acronym of HEPA, which stands for Healthy Eating, Physical Activity.

“It means your child will not spend his or her time here eating sugar-loaded food while watching television,” Howard explained. “HEPA and the 5-2-1-0 program are the supporting pillars of the Y’s commitment to meaningful care.”

Howard said many of the children in the program come from homes where good nutrition is not easily available. Sociologists say there is a link between good nutrition and socio-economic standing; meaning that poor families often don’t eat as well as families in the higher socio-economic levels.

“The more you can do before the child gets to be school age, the better they’ll do as teenagers and adults,” she said.

Howard said that what is learned in preschool is sometimes not as obvious as those skills taught in school.

“For example,” Howard said, “a lot of what they learn in preschool has to do with socialization. How to wait in line, how to identify a circle, these are important for school readiness.”

It worked for Michelle Lambert, of West Bath, whose daughter is now in school after participating in the Y’s preschool program.

“The opportunity for my child to experience music, gymnastics and swimming while in the enrichment program meant she was actually able to try out all of these things,” Lambert wrote in an email. “With our work schedules we would have been limited in our ability to expose such activities to her. In addition, the opportunity for her to experience these activities and learn new skills with a peer group she was comfortable with really accelerated her participation.”

That is just what Kelly Howard likes to hear.