Penny Snell's stepping in to help with childcare at the YMCA Independent Health branch in Williamsville.
It's not her typical role with the nonprofit.
She's the association director for all 51 YMCA daycares in western New York. But, she's filling in because the Y is seeing a daycare worker shortage. In fact, many qualified y employees are being asked to cover daycare shifts.
“They're working 20 to 30 hours at a site instead of recruitment and interviewing,” Snell explained.
Snell said each of the 51 sites across western New York need anywhere from two to 10 daycare workers.
Part of the problem is that fast food chains like Tim Hortons and McDonald's offer workers $15 an hour. The Y offers minimum wage which is $10.40 an hour.
“We're trying to be competitive with our salaries but we're also a nonprofit,” said Snell.
The y is currently analyzing its budget for next year to see whether a wage increase is possible. It's also getting creative with incentives. Last year, it extended the free employee memberships to include an employee's family members, too.
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