The Kankakee Area YMCA’s Y-Kids program is here for those who need before and after school care for school-aged children in our area. Working with the Kankakee County schools, we have developed a program to serve many children!
This year, we are offering our before and after school child care on-site at Kennedy Middle School to serve Kankakee School District 111, Liberty, Shabbona & Levasseur to serve Bourbonnais School District 53, Bradley East & Bradley West to serve Bradley School District 61, Bonfield Elementary School to serve Herscher School District 2 and St. George to serve St. George School District 258.
Please click the buttons below to view more details about how to register, rates, and more.
Registration Packet View All Payment Options Parent Handbook

We’re the YMCA. Meeting the needs of children, strengthening families, and building strong communities have always been, and remain central to the YMCA mission. As a part of this mission, we promise that YMCA childcare programs will:
Assist children in developing positive attitudes of caring, respect, honesty, and responsibility for themselves and others.
Offer programs that are safe, enriching, and developmentally appropriate. We challenge children to grow in imagination, creativity, self-directed initiative, and leadership.
Employ caring people who are trained to help children set limits and develop their own self-control. Staff will become counselors to the children, developing friendships that promote trust, sharing, and openness.
Supplement the child’s experience at school and home, creating partnerships with school staff and parents.
Enable families of all income levels to participate in all YMCA programs, including childcare. No one will be turned away due to the inability to pay.
Focus on individual children and help them, one life at a time.
An array of daily learning experiences in the program can be found in our Activity Centers. These choices, based on age-appropriate activities in a child-centered, fun environment, offer our children a chance to learn, to imagine, to relax—a chance to grow.
The four core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility form the basis for all activities in the Kankakee Area YMCA Child Care Program. Our staff model YMCA values and assist children in developing positive attitudes based on these core values.
The YMCA offers full day care on days that area school’s are closed but the Y is open. Child care is available at the YMCA on these days from 6:30am-6:00pm. The YMCA provides lunch & a snack. Children will have the opportunity to swim (don’t forget your suit and towel!), play in our Gym, Kid Fit Zone & Aerobics Studio. Children will also spend time outdoors, weather permitting. Please see payment options above for pricing. A completed Y-Kids packet and pre-registration is required.
The Kankakee YMCA Childcare Center, located at 1025 N. Washington Ave. Kankakee, offers full-time childcare for a variety of ages and programs that will enrich the growth of your child. Join us at the Childcare Center where great finishes begin!
The Childcare Center is now enrolling children ages 6 weeks through 5 years. Currently, the center is open from 6:30 AM to 6 PM, offering programming for your child all day. Programming is taught by qualified staff who prioritize the growth of each child. In addition, the center offers a bi-lingual curriculum.
Brightwheel will be used by our staff to help parents stay connected with their children all day! Parents can Digitally Check-In and see when their child has been checked in or out.
DAILY UPDATES: Real-time feed of activities throughout the day.
PHOTOS: Parents can watch their child’s day unfold with mobile snapshots delivered straight to their device.
COMMUNICATION: Parents can stay in touch with their child’s teacher and then strengthen school learning with activities at home!





