MxCC, Meriden Center Partner with Meriden YMCA for Free or Discounted Childcare

Dec 2, 2015 – Students attending MxCC or The Meriden Center this spring who become members of the Meriden YMCA will have access to the Y’s free or deeply discounted childcare services.  The Meriden YMCA is offering special low membership rates to MxCC students, as well as special member pricing for its Child Watch daycare program of only $3 per hour per child (fee is waived for family or single parent memberships). Child Watch is available for children between the ages of three months and nine years, and is open Monday – Friday from 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. as well as Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Space in Child Watch is limited, so students are encouraged to register early. Details and forms for spring 2016 are available at The Meriden Center’s Welcome Desk, online at https://mxcc.edu/meriden and at the Meriden YMCA.

“As MxCC brings evening classes back to The Meriden Center, this childcare program will be important for many of our students,” said Tami Christopher, director of The Meriden Center.  “Having access to dependable childcare is one of the biggest reasons people do not start or finish a college degree or certificate program, and this program helps remove that barrier.  We also hope students will join the YMCA at these great rates simply to take advantage of their many fitness and health programs – which will give them more energy in their daily lives.”

The Meriden YMCA is just a two-minute walk down the street from The Meriden Center.  The facility has long served as a sort of extension of the campus, supporting student life in Meriden on many different levels.

“So many members of our community take classes at The Meriden Center as a way to reach goals and improve their lives, and we are happy to help them do that more easily with our childcare program,” said Carrie Marquardt, director of health and wellness at the Meriden YMCA.  “We have always worked with MxCC and The Meriden Center to support the College and the students, and love seeing them working out here or taking part in our programs.  We look forward to a very busy and fun semester.”

Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (mxcc.edu) is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. In all it does, Middlesex Community College strives to be the college of its community. By providing high quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, the college enhances the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. MxCC, recently named a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education, offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs at the main 35-acre campus in Middletown, the downtown Meriden Center, and online.