Two local nonprofit groups are offering after-school care services for some parents who may be affected by Erie County’s plan to cut day care subsidies to about 1,500 children whose parents rely on the aid.

The Boys&Girls Club is vowing that, in response to the county cuts in day care spending, it will not turn away any family in need of after- school care.

“As long as we have space available, we will not turn a family away or a child away because their subsidy has been cut off,” said Diane Rowe, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo.

“We do not do day care; we do after-school care,” Rowe said.

“A lot of the impact is going to be on day care, but there is also impact on families who are getting subsidies to send their children to after-school programs,” she added.

And, the YMCA announced that its Ellicott-Masten and Delaware Family branches will provide financial help to an additional 25 families thanks to a $10,000 grant from J. C. Penney Afterschool.

With the recent cut of $10 million in child care funding for low-income families in Erie County, many residents find themselves having to choose between working and seeking alternative means of affordable child care.

County Department of Social Services officials recently decided to narrow eligibility for those seeking access to subsidized day care by the county because officials have said it has become too expensive for taxpayers to afford.

YMCA Buffalo Niagara, which has more than 33 sites across the region, said it is providing an option to those who are eligible for financial assistance. The YMCA also is in the midst of its 2010 Strong Kids Campaign, which hopes to raise $530,000 to help support the program.

Boys & Girls Club after-school programs are operated at six sites in Buffalo.

“We run a clubhouse [in three separate schools] in conjunction with the Cheektowaga-Sloan School District . . . but the majority of our children are bused to us,” said Rowe.

“We need to help support our families, especially our working families. It’s not going to help the community if people have to decide between going to work and having a place for their children to be,” she added.

Rowe said the Boys & Girls Club’s fees are based on a sliding scale, but it seeks to accommodate each family’s specific needs.

“We work with each family on an individual basis, so if someone is in need of our services, we make sure they get the services they need,” she added.