LONDONDERRY — District officials are partnering with the YMCA to offer expanded programming for the town's kindergarten students.

Following a lengthy discussion Tuesday night, the School Board voted unanimously in favor of the child care program, geared toward making things easier for working parents with children attending half-day kindergarten.

Superintendent Nate Greenberg said he receives regular inquiries from parents interested in kindergarten-level child care programs.

“One thing led to another, and we've been taking a closer look at this,” Greenberg said this week. “I think, over time, this would boost our kindergarten enrollment as many parents have mentioned child care issues surrounding our existing program.”

Greenberg said he considers the proposed program to be “basically an extension of the current programs.”

“I don't look at this as outsourcing; I look at this as an expansion of our partnership with the Y,” said Greenberg, noting this solution might bode well for parents interested in an all-day program as well as district officials struggling with budget constraints.

“I don't think we could provide this service to parents at the low cost the YMCA can,” Greenberg said.

He urged the School Board to finalize their decision well before the new school year begins, thus allowing local parents to plan accordingly.

During Tuesday night's School Board meeting, Lisa Fitzgerald, executive director of the YMCA of Greater Londonderry, shared details of the suggested program, which would complement the half-day public kindergarten program currently being offered at Moose Hill School.

“We serve this population in all our other programs; we just don't currently serve them in a before and after school capacity,” Fitzgerald said. “But we already know most of these parents. We'd certainly welcome the opportunity to expand.”

The local Y already offers before and after school child care for elementary and middle school children, Fitzgerald said, adding that the Y has been working with the school district steadily over the past 11 years.

Such programs have typically been very well attended, Fitzgerald added.

Families opting to enroll their kindergarten children in the YMCA's “wraparound” program would be subject to monthly fees, ranging from $265 per month for a child to attend either the morning or afternoon session for two to three days per week, to $558 per month for a child to attend both sessions for five days per week.

“These rates are exactly the same as for the programs we have for the older students,” Fitzgerald said, noting discounts are offered to families who require a full day of childcare.

YMCA officials said the program would be designed to complement the existing kindergarten curriculum, with emphasis on their existing lessons in reading and early mathematics, as well as the music, physical education and art that isn't currently offered in Londonderry's public kindergarten program.

The morning session would take place at the school between 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., while the afternoon session would be held between 11:30 a.m. and 3:05 p.m.

Greenberg said the child care could extend to a “wraparound” period that would begin at 7 a.m. for the morning program, and extend to 6 p.m. for the afternoon program, allowing accommodation for working parents.

“Honestly speaking, would there be some spillover? Yes there would,” Greenberg added. “But we're prepared to work this all out.”

Greenberg said there's plenty of space on site, and expanding the YMCA program wouldn't affect the existing kindergarten or Londonderry Early Education Program (LEEP) curriculum.

Fitzgerald estimated there's room to accommodate around 25 to 30 children in the program at present time.

“Parents can breath easily knowing children just have to walk from one room to another to be cared for,” board member Nancy Hendricks said. “I honestly don't know how working families can handle the half-day kindergarten, so I for one am in favor of this.”

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April Guilmet may be reached at AGuilmet@newstote.com.