Children at Yarmouth Day Care feel right at home there, partly because YDC caregivers are like extended family — average tenure is now 14 years, and they provide very personal attention, alongside parents, who all take an active role in running this cooperative, member-run day care.
“YDC is a close-knit community,” says president Lynne Gawtry. “About 16 families are members, and on any day, as many as 12 kids attend. Parents build friendships as they work with each other and the caregivers. That strengthens the children’s sense of place and their own friendships here.”
A few years ago, YDC recognized the importance of its caregivers’ long-term commitment and made the financial stretch to begin providing health benefits. Maintaining these benefits would be impossible without fundraising, and Clam Festival has become essential to YDC’s operating budget.
YDC has sold ice cream at its Festival food booth for more than 20 years — it’s kid-friendly and a favorite for all ages. This year, YDC is teaming up with St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, where the day care is located, to expand their menu and include other all-American favorites, grilled chicken sandwiches, corn dogs, and fresh lemonade.
The Festival is also a time when YDC alumni reconnect every year, and with early graduates now starting their own families, YDC looks forward to enrolling its first “legacy student.”
Lynne Gawtry says, “Every year, we’re building community—at YDC, in Yarmouth, and at the Festival. Working the Festival is fun, it’s an opportunity to participate in much of what’s special about Yarmouth—it’s why people come back year after year.”
The Clam Festival is a fundraising event organized by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce to support non-profit organizations that work for the benefit of our community. Admission is free, and entry to all performances and contests are free all weekend. Fees for food and parking support Yarmouth’s non-profit groups, who volunteer to prepare a wide range of food offerings, attend booths and parking lots, and provide services that make the Festival fun and family-friendly for the whole community. Funds they raise at Clam Festival keep them working toward their missions all year. Thank you for coming to the 44th annual Clam Festival to support Yarmouth’s non-profit community-service organizations!
