Vital care and early learning opportunities for children 0 months to 3.8 years of age.
We know you can't always be with your child - and that's why we are here for you.
With decades of experience in child care, we provide a safe, nurturing environment for children to learn to build healthy relationships and develop school readiness skills.
Our licensed YMCA Child Care centres provide high-quality for your child in a warm and stimulating environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.
The early years are key in your child's development. That is why we developed YMCA Playing to Learn - it helps children learn the way they learn best.
Let us help build your child's enthusiasm and capacity for lifelong learning through guided play and discovery.
How to Apply for Full Day Child Care
Hamilton and Burlington
Applications must be completed online through My Y Account.
If you do not have a My Y Account, please create one to get started.
Create a My Y Account
- Login to your My Y Account
- Select My Profile,
- Select Clients,
- Select Add Additional to add your child to the account.
A child must meet the minimum age requirement for their respective age group to be placed on the waitlist.
- Infants: 0-18 months
- Toddlers: 18 to 30 months
- Preschoolers: 30 months to 44 months
- Kindergarten: 3.8 years to age 5
- School Age: 6-12 years
Eligibility to register on a waitlist will begin at birth for Infant care, and 6-months ahead for all other program levels age groups.
- Select Child Care at the top of the screen.
- Select your desired Location, (select Child Care Centre, NOT School Age Child Care)
- Select All Sessions,
- Click the Search button.
- Expand the Registration Information drop down,
- Click the orange Waitlist button on the right of the screen.
- Fill in the requested information,
- Click Check Out to complete.
Brantford
Applications for YMCA Child Care in Brantford must be completed through the Brantford One List:
When a space becomes available, our staff will be in contact to discuss registration.
Three reasons to trust your child's care to the YMCA
YMCA Playing to Learn
YMCA Playing to Learn is a national YMCA curriculum that helps children discover learning through creative play and aligns with primary school benchmarks.
Play is the foundation for learning to read and write, and for learning mathematics, science and technology. Our curriculum fosters a child's enthusiasm and capacity for lifelong learning making it a key reason parents choose YMCA Child Care.
In our care, your child will learn through story time, playing with blocks, counting and comparing items, creating pictures, singing, make-believe, exploring and investigating their world.
Quality Assurance
YMCA Child Care operates with consistent best practices and standards across the country.
All YMCA Child Care programs are licensed under the Child Care Early Years Act with regular evaluation to ensure quality in Child Care practices. They are also inspected annually to confirm compliance by Ministry standards.
Commitment
As a YMCA program, you can trust that we’re committed to:
- Supporting and strengthening families like yours
- Promoting the core values of belonging, caring, honesty, respect and responsibility
- Caring for your child in a safe, positive environment
- Helping your child develop to their fullest potential during those crucial early years.
Frequently Asked Questions about Full Day Child Care
Can I sign up before my child is born?
No, you will need a name and birthdate before you can register on a child care waitlist.
Please note that your child must meet the minimum age requirement for their respective age group by the intended enrollment/start date for child care.
Infants: 0-18 months
Toddlers: 18 to 30 months
Preschoolers: 30 months to 44 months
Kindergarten: 3.8 years to age 5
School Age: 6-12 years
Can I apply to more than one Child Care Centre?
Yes, you can apply to as many Child Care Centre's as you choose. You will need to select each centre individually, expand the registration information and then click the orange waitlist button.
Please ensure when you are joining a waitlist, you are selecting the Child Care Centre and NOT the School Age Child Care Centre. Our Child Care Waitlist policy requires that a child must meet the minimum age requirement for their respective age group by the intended enrollment/start date for child care.
Infants: 0-18 months
Toddlers: 18 to 30 months
Preschoolers: 30 months to 44 months
Kindergarten: 3.8 years to age 5
School Age: 6-12 years
How do I know that I'm on the waitlist?
Once you have completed the requested information and clicked the 'Check Out' option to complete you have registered for the Child Care wait list.
When you login to My Y Portal, and select 'My Programs' you will see the child care centre listed and that you are on the waitlist.
What are Full Day Child Care fees?
You can find our Full Day Child Care pricing for Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford by clicking the button below:
The payment structure for 2025 can be found at this link:
Contact Us
If you have additional general questions about our child care programming (dietary requirements, full and part-time scheduling, rates, staffing, etc.) Please fill out our general inquiry form and a member of our Child Care team will be in touch.
