Last week, Mayor Martin Walsh and the Boston Resiliency Fund Steering Committee announced the seventh round of Boston Resiliency Fund grants. Included among the recipients will be the East Boston YMCA is slated to receive financial help to continue its Emergency Childcare Center for essential workers.
The money is part of $1.3 million from the fund with a focus on emergency childcare, expanded COVID-19 testing and telehealth services, safety training and emotional support for essential and frontline workers, and support food delivery systems.
“The generosity of thousands of individuals and organizations is allowing the Boston Resiliency Fund to provide food for children and seniors in need, technology for students, and support to first responders and healthcare workers,” said Walsh. “The work of the fund will continue to be informed by the COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force to get resources into communities that have the deepest needs. We’ve used it to expand COVID testing access and outreach in our hardest hit communities and in every neighborhood across the city.”
As schools and daycares closed across the state in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic some childcare facilities were allowed to remain open to help essential workers in Eastie and the Commonwealth continue to battle the virus outbreak on the frontlines.
The East Boston YMCA is the only Emergency Childcare Center open in the neighborhood.
“With previous support from the Boston Resiliency Fund, the YMCA has provided thousands of “grab & go” meals for children and thousands of meals for adults,” said YMCA Executive Director Joe Gaeta. “While doing this we’ve kept child care slots open for essential workers in Boston. This additional support will enable the YMCA to keep emergency child care centers open through the end of June.”
Gaeta said the East Boston YMCA currently has the capacity for 40 children at Bremen Street site and 40 children at the Y’s Ashley Street site. The ages are infant to 13 year olds.
Gaeta said the Eastie Y is operating at 50 percent capacity right now so the two sites do have space if essential workers who qualify need it.
Those who qualify are front line workers including doctors, nurses, health care workers, EMTs, front line grocery workers, USPS and other delivery services. Also, those in DCYF custody could qualify. This service is provided free of charge.
If you are an essential worker in need of childcare, Gaeta said residents should email [email protected] to sign up or to see if they qualify. More info can be found at https://ymcaboston.org/emergency-child-care.