Welcome to Magic Circle School

Our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful staff at the Magic Circle School; these past few years have been a fantastic experience for us. Tommy is so lucky to have worked with such a nurturing caring group of talented and professional men and women. We will both miss you and the children very much.

Much love

At fourteen months, my daughter was enrolled at the Magic Circle school for two four hours sessions to give her a chance to socialize with other children and to allow a stay at home mom a few minutes alone. A month later, I found myself a single father with full custody of an infant. Four hours of day care turned to fifty because, quite honestly, I still needed to go to work. The YWCA allowed me that. Yes the schedule helped, but the reliability of knowing if one person was sick that daycare was open or if an inch of snow hit the ground daycare was open helped more. Most importantly, the staff was warm and caring enough to enable me to feel safe leaving a child when I knew how bad she needed a parent. Almost four years have passed since then. The ability to keep my career and support my family, in reality, is a fraction of what Magic Circle has given us. From toilet training to hand writing without tears, The Y has helped teach the basics. I’d love to take credit for why my kid can zip her coat or eat Brussel sprouts or sing or paint so well, but I know she got that from “school”. With no family in the area, we found ourselves the chance to be part of a community. The birthday parties I thrown and attended were both filled with friends we made at the Y. From cooking classes to holidays bashes, we developed a sort of extended family and made memories that go well beyond the idea of daycare. There are times when I am quick to say that I raise my daughter by myself, but the truth is I have had help along the way. A lot of that help has been from the Magic Circle. They are the names in the stories of life my child tells. Their faces are in the photos that document a baby growing into a little person.

We have had such a great experience growing at the YWCA of Ulster and Boces. Our daughter started at Boces in March of 2016, at 2 1/2 years old she was losing her best friend and caregiver. Worried about our transition and our daughters, the teachers at the Boces location made everything so easy. the staff at Boces welcomed our concerns and kept us posted on how our daughter acted about the friend who moved away. With their attentive staff, our daughter has become very well adjusted to her new environment. Our daughter transitioned into the toddler room and stayed at the Boces location until the Kingston location had her spot open up in the Preschool room and our son started in the infant room at 2 months old in November 2016. We hope to have both kids graduate from the YWCA, it's a shared experience none of us will forget.

Through all the demands of work, which we could not afford to avoid for long, the YWCA staff are there long hours and so kindly wait that extra minute or give that extra hand to make it all work out. The Kingston location was close enough for me to nurse on my lunch break and walk to pick up the kids in the summer. We are very happy here and we are so thankful for all the love and support the YWCA staff provide.

Thank you