Gatestone
Toddler, Preschool, Kindergarten, School Age
Weekdays from 7:00am to 6:00pm
Umbrella child care programs are located within Gatestone Elementary School
Offering families affordable, inclusive, and nurturing environments where children explore, learn, and grow, realizing their full potential.
Full Day Care for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Before & After School Care
Nutritious Food & Snacks Provided
Drop off as early as 7am, Pick-up as late as 6 pm
PA Day and School Break Programs
City Subsidy Accepted
Program Photos
Our programs at Umbrella Gatestone provide a variety of experiences for children based on their interests, inquiries, and developing skills.
Educators use the Ministry of Education document “How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years” as a guide in supporting developmentally appropriate practice. Programs are centred around four foundations for optimal learning and healthy development: Belonging, Well-Being, Engagement, and Expression.
The staff is very caring and they take the time to get to know the needs of the kids. They are all outstanding!
Parent - Umbrella Gatestone
Sensory bags
The children had the opportunity to create slime sensory bags. They used their fine motor skills to add food colouring and stir the slime mixture. When the bags were filled, they enjoyed exploring how the squishy slime moved inside the ziploc bag.
How can I enroll my child?
The first step is to visit our online portal and enter your care request. The portal will show you the locations that are closest to your address for the program/age you need for your child.
Subsidy accepted here :)
Families can apply for Child Care Fee Subsidy through the City of Hamilton, which helps with the cost of licensed child care. Families may continue to be responsible for a daily fee, but the amount is based on the individual circumstances of the family.
FAQ
Umbrella’s child care centres are located throughout the Greater Hamilton Area and are operated within Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board schools. Please visit our Locations page for a full list of centres and the programs offered.
Our current fees and a schedule of upcoming payments can be found here.
The first step is to visit our online portal and enter your care request (program, start date, etc.)
Once your request is received, staff will get back to you regarding availability and next steps. (This process also is how you are added to our waitlist.)
When a child care space in our programs is offered and accepted, families must complete the full registration package (provided by the centre) and pay a non-refundable administrative fee, of $50.00 per child.
A date will be set up for a play visit. During the visit, educators will have an opportunity to observe your child interacting with others and provide you with information to determine the level of support the child may require in adjusting to the program.
After the child has been attending for six weeks, an opportunity will be provided for the Supervisor, staff member(s) and parents/guardians to discuss the child’s adjustment to the program. This provides both parties with an opportunity to ask questions, share information and ideas, and determine whether the centre is able to meet the child and his/her family’s needs.
When all spaces in Umbrella Family and Child Centres (UFCC) are full, UFCC is committed to maintaining a wait list that ensures respect for each family and maintains their confidentiality. This is done in a fair, equitable and transparent manner. Parents may request information as to their child’s position on the wait list at any time from the site’s Supervisor.
In accordance with the Collective Agreement between UFCC and CUPE Local 3491, priority is given to employees’ children on the wait list. Whenever possible, priority is also given to siblings of children already registered in a UFCC program or to children transferring from one UFCC program to another.
UFCC does not request or require a fee or deposit from families for placement on the wait list.
Please refer to our fee policies. If you have any further questions on these policies, please speak to your centre Supervisor regarding our policy on payment during these periods.
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