It's not easy to be a working parent and have to place your child in the care of others while you earn money to put food on the table. There are many child-care choices, but the goal is to find the very best for your greatest treasure. You want a place where children can learn, grow, thrive and continue to follow the values you have worked so hard to instill in them. Along with everything else, it needs to be within your budget. Seems like a tall order and yet, it's not. Look no further than the YMCA — the nation's largest provider of child-care programs, dedicated to providing high-quality and affordable child care.

YMCA child care consists of values-based, family-centered programs to nurture a child's healthy development, while emphasizing and modeling core character values such as honesty, respect, trustworthiness and responsibility. This helps children grow physically, mentally and spiritually, while giving them a sense of self value and security.

Locally, the Camarillo and Ventura Family YMCAs offer this high-quality child care. Well-trained, first aid- and CPR-certified, background-checked staff members work as partners with parents and other caregivers, helping kids grow up healthy, happy and strong, so parents can have peace of mind while they work. Child-care staff members help their charges with homework and engage them in exciting daily group and individual activities, allowing children to express their talents in the arts, sports, or other areas of interest. There is a low kids-to-staff ratio at each site, and the child care is state licensed.

In addition to the safe and nurturing learning environment, YMCA child care is very affordable. Nationwide, the median fees for YMCA child care are about 30 percent lower than the national average for child-care costs. Both full-time and part-time rate plans are available, giving parents the option for before school care, after school care, or both. The Camarillo and Ventura Family YMCA child-care programs are open during most school in-service and minimum days. In addition, fall, winter, spring and summer camps are available for holidays when school is not in session for an extended period. Like all Y programs, financial assistance is offered for families in need, making the child care available for all.

The Ventura Family YMCA child-care sites are located on the Poinsettia, Elmhurst, Loma Vista and Rio Del Norte school campuses. The Camarillo Family YMCA child-care sites are located on the Los Posas, Dos Caminos, Tierra Linda and La Mariposa schools, as well as at the YMCA itself. For Camarillo Family YMCA child-care participants, transportation is provided to and from several schools in the Pleasant Valley School District at no additional cost.

Registration is already in progress for the 2008-09 school year, so make sure to visit the Camarillo or Ventura Family YMCA and sign yourself up for peace of mind, knowing that your children will be well taken care of.

To find out more about child-care opportunities or information about classes, activities and membership at the Camarillo or Ventura Family YMCA, visit http://www.ciymca.org.

About Channel Islands YMCA

The Camarillo and Ventura Family YMCAs are branches of the Channel Islands YMCA, a charitable organization, established in 1887 with seven YMCA branches serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The Channel Islands YMCA serves more than 44,000 individuals and provides more than $1.2 million in financial assistance to low-income families for child care, YMCA memberships, away camps, youth sports and teen after-school-programs.