FISHERS, Ind. — At a YMCA day camp at Grace Church in Fishers, Marsha Day has an important role.
"It's a lot of fun. Keeps me young. They make me laugh," said Day.
Day helps working parents make sure their child is safe.
"The Y is essential to parents like me," said parent Heather Shockley.
Shockley said she got lucky.
"I had to reach out to the YMCA and get on a waiting list and then we got back on," she said.
Starting Thursday, some parents in Avon and Plainfield won't be able to use the YMCA for before and afterschool care.
"This is the first time starting a school year where I cannot open some programs in districts that we have contracts with," said Amy Panetta, executive director of programming with youth development at the YMCA.
Panetta said while there is a staffing shortage across central Indiana, the biggest need is at Sycamore and Maple Elementary schools in Avon. These two locations will not open for programming.
In Plainfield, there will be no afternoon program at Clark's Creek Elementary School and no morning program at Guilford Elementary School.
"Literally 20 children, 20 families could get care just from hiring one person," said Panetta.
She said there has to be one staff member for every 15 students.
"We have to maintain a ratio of 15-to-1 for our kindergartners and 20-to-1 for our older children," said Panetta. "If we have 75 students and we only have two staff, it's not a safe situation."
Shockley said the need is critical.
"As a single mother, you need them, especially with the school hours," said Shockley. "There is no way that you could do this working."
It's one reason why the program needs people like Day and encourages others to step up.
The YMCA is offering a slew of incentives for new hires, including a $400 bonus, free membership, and a flexible schedule. The organization is accepting applications on its website.