Staff Stories: With the Y, I have 'Flexibility'

By: Mollie Shauger | Tuesday, March 29, 2022 | Child Care

Kat Van Allen and daughter Kylie. Photo courtesy of Van Allen.

Shavonda DeRoche and Kat Van Allen wear many hats as a YMCA child care employee, and as parents.

In the mornings and afternoons during the week, DeRoche oversees the before and after school program at Hardyston Elementary, one of the School Age Child Care Programs run by the Sussex County YMCA. Her 8-year-old son Cameron is among the students in the program, where kids stay active and engaged outside the classroom through healthy snacks, interactive activities, and homework support.

In between her time at the elementary school, DeRoche also works at the Sussex County Y helping to supervise children in the Child Watch area while their parents exercise in the Wellness Center. There, she can bring her youngest child, 3-year-old Roman, with her. DeRoche, who taught in New York public schools before becoming a full-time caregiver to Roman when he was born, also does virtual teaching and test prep to K-12 students outside of the Y. 

Van Allen, a Site Supervisor at Ogdensburg Elementary School for the last three years, another Sussex County after-school site, is mom to Kylie, 10, a fourth-grader who attends the same program.

As single moms, the flexibility and ability for them to work alongside their children is important to both Van Allen and DeRoche. Both of their children also attend the School Age Child Care programs at no cost, through a new child care employee benefit the Y launched last fall in an effort to hire and retain qualified staff while removing the hurdle many working parents face in finding affordable, flexible, and quality child care. As part of this pilot program, Early Childhood staff could also benefit from reduced child care tuition fees. 

Shavonda DeRoche and her children, Sheridan, Cameron, and Roman. Photo courtesy of DeRoche.

The daily routine can get hectic, DeRoche admitted, but it gives her time to spend with her boys throughout the day and still connect in the evenings with all three of her children, including teenage daughter Sheridan. She considered jobs with other child care providers and preschools but “when it came down to it, the Y’s flexibility was what allowed me to choose the Y,” she said. “Flexibility is important in a job for me because I have many family obligations that are hard to maintain or complete with a traditional/fixed schedule.”

“Without the Y, I wouldn’t have peace of mind,” DeRoche said. “I have more financial stability and independence, and I am able to be involved in activities with the community. My family, including my elderly mom, can benefit from programs and the Y membership.”

“Not having to worry about the extra cost of child care allows me to put that money towards other things,” said Van Allen. “Without the Y, I would not be able to work as much as I do, or send my child to aftercare or summer camp.”

Her daughter refers to camp as her “home away from home,” she said.

Support for working parents, especially moms

With the pandemic, the Y’s child care, camp, and youth programs have provided a sense of normalcy in strange times by providing outlets for socialization, enrichment, and play. 

Additionally, the Y has helped parents trying to balance their roles as employee and caregiver. The pandemic compounded a crisis that parents, especially mothers, were already dealing with - choosing between work and their children’s needs. During the pandemic, women lost jobs at a higher rate than men, data shows, as child care centers closed and schools shifted to remote learning. In the spring of 2020, around 3.5 million mothers living with school-age children left active work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Women are returning to the workforce but at a slower rate than men, and caregiving duties have been one of the biggest obstacles.

Read more about how the Y has supported moms during the pandemic.