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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2008
》 CONSTRUCTION
Center expands to meet child care demands
SACHIKO MIYAKAWA
smiyakawa@kansan.com
Families on the waiting list at the University's Hilltop Child Development Center might soon be in luck. This fall, three new classrooms will be open at the center, with two more additional classrooms opening next summer to meet the demand for child care.
The extra classrooms this fall will allow the enrollment of an additional 38 children for 1- to 2-year-olds. Pat Pisani, executive director of the center, said she planned to hire eight more full-time employees and 10 to 15 part-time employees, including student-hourly employees.
"It allows us to get more people off the waiting list so that the students can go to class and do their work that
they have to do toward their degrees." Pisani said.
She said students accounted for more than 55 percent of the parents at Hilltop.
Ophra Leyser-Whalen, DeKalb Ill., graduate student, has a 2-year-old son. Her husband is also a graduate student at the University. She said they chose Hilltop because of its reputation, location and the fee system based on families incomes.
She said she applied for the center as soon as her son was born. She waited for 18 months until the center allowed his admission.
Pisani said usually 300 to 350 children were on the waiting list to get into Hilltop, but the center gave priority to student families. She said the center's convenient location and benefits, including tuition subsidies and
sliding fee scales for lower income students, attracted many parents.
"The need continues to grow," she said. "There are more staff and faculty coming who have young children and more students going to school as nontraditional students."
Michael Kennedy, Syracuse, N.Y., graduate student, said child care of his daughter was an immediate concern for him and his wife when he decided to attend the University. Their 3-year-old daughter got into Hilltop two weeks ago after a year of waiting.
"She comes home happy every day," Kennedy said. "I think it's because of its teaching environment."
He said he liked Hilltop's education, which focuses on children's positive behaviors. He said the long wait was understandable, considering the quality of its programs.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
Construction for the expansion at the Hilltop Child Development Center is expected to be completed by July 15. It will accommodate 10 additional toddlers and 14 kindergarten students.
Pisani said there will be no further are completed. renovations after the two new wings Edited by Bryan Cisler