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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1998)
LAURA GOSS/Emerald Julian, 4, swings high uith the help of sophomore Ryann Cowley at the EMU Child Care Development Center. Care: Program adapts to student schedules ■ Continued from Page 1A explained Dennis Reynolds, Uni versity child care coordinator. He completed an undergraduate in ternship at the center on Moss Street in 1972 and never left. “I had a friend who was work ing here, and 1 thought it would be an easy credit and would be fun,” Reynolds said. "1 found it much more meaningful than just fun. I found the work I wanted to do.” After 15 years as a classroom teacher and 11 years as an admin istrator for children’s programs, he has seen the evolution of the Uni versity’s system. One house for temporary use was opened in June 1970 and has been used for the last 27 1/2 years, he said. "At the time it was considered a radical notion that there would be child care on a University cam pus,” Reynolds said. “The demo graphics have changed, and it is no longer seen as a radical issue for students and employees. ” In the '70s there was more feder al money for students, but when that money started drying up, the student government filled the gaps in terms of supporting child care, said Reynolds. Today, student incidental fees help subsidize one-third of the op erating expenses for the seven child care and development pro grams available to students, em ployees and community families that service approximately 260 to 350 children altogether. “There’s definitely a higher level of quality because it’s not for prof it," Wasson explained. “It’s not just day care but child development centers that care about the kids. ” There are several differences be tween the University program and independent day care providers, Reynolds said. The University day-care centers pay their employ ees a higher salary than centers with similar costs. This higher salary ensures a lower turnover rate among employees and more quality staff workers. The centers also offer a variety of schedules for day care that change each quarter when the stu dent’s schedule changes. The cen ters adapt their schedules to meet LAURA GOSS/Emerald Emma, 2, has her first "driving lesson” in the center’s outdoor play area during a brief break from the rain on Tuesday. student needs. For example, they can change their schedule to ac commodate student-parents dur ing Finals Week, Reynolds said. Wasson is a member of the Stu dent Senate and her husband is ac tive in the ASUO office. Her child care is adaptable to her schedule. “It’s easy, at any hour things may come up. I’ll think I’ll be done at a certain hour and I won’t be able to make it,” says Wasson, who can call the center and ask if her child can stay longer. “It’s real ly flexible with you. ” Students buy blocks of time when they have classes and can save money by only scheduling the care their child needs. The centers’ main priorities are serving students, and 65 to 70 percent of the children in the program are children of University students. “Child care is a popular issue right now,” said Cheryl Hunter, ASUO executive coordinator. “Overall, so ciety has had a mixed commitment to it. We realize the importance of child care, but we don’t fund it. ” In addition to ASUO funding, student government has made an effort to help individual students afford child care. “We’ve tried different things over the years, like changing the level of eligibility for subsidies or adjusting the number of families in the subsidy program,” Hunter said. Last year the ASUO accepted 210 subsidies, which amounted to $212,000 set aside specifically for student-parents who receive a per centage of their day care funding from the ASUO. Parents can use the subsidy in any day care pro gram they choose. “The ASUO subsidy is key be cause it pays for 55 percent of our child care, which helps out so much because child care is really expensive,” said Wasson. University day care can ease confusion with bills. Wasson knows if there are problems pay ing that month’s complete cost, the bill will be transferred over to her Oregon Hall account. President Clinton’s new child care initiative will mostly target moderate income families, Reynolds explained. "But hope is on the horizon in terms of federal funding,” he said. If passed by Congress, Clinton’s plan would expand bloc grants that states receive to subsidize low-income family care. It would also support child care providers’ educations, employer tax credits for providing day care, and fund ing to improve after school care. Hunter believes Clinton’s plan may have more of an impact on the quality, and not necessarily the cost, of child care. Beyond funding the real need is for students to get directly involved with the children in their commu nities, he said. Reynolds would like to see more students involved with the University day care and child development centers. “It is easy on campus to live in an ivory tower and to forget that not everybody in the world is be tween 18 and 25 years of age,” Reynolds said. “We are so conditioned every day to see certain kinds of people on campus,” said Beth Daniels, who has been working for the child care centers for the past three years. “The EMU program I work with is an opportunity to let their [children’s] presence be known." Her work consists of making snacks, setting up the touch tables for children, using play dough and facilitating exploration and play. "For three hours I forget about the paper 1 have to do tonight or the test I have to study for tomor row,” she said. “It allows me to hold on to my inner child.” J >.i i RENTALS! Downhill (new shaped skis) S 5 Cross Country. spring break fever r ti«l«<» A [ , (jrtct Vict ptoplf * Puerto Valtarta $467 package includes airfare, hotel and transfers i im »o« >uu rc ar»e* «o«ti>*iiM Council Travel ' C1EE: Council on International Educational Exchange 877 1/2 East 13th 'Eugene Street J f JUniversity of Oregon ^ In the EMU Building t' Eugene ti* (541)344-22631 r ■ .~~rmii n- x _ (')ri (/(>// (/)////// o’we/tr/t/ Heart Beats sendo/ie; sutee/u’... only SS! • Heart Beats will run in the Emerald on February 13. • Call 346-4343 to place your Heart Beat today, or stop by the Emerald Classified Office, Suite 300, EMU • DEADLINE: 1pm, Wed., February 11th ‘Kn/f f/e-/nos/ araS/oc at/-a/u/tot/i r/ut/HT/or /too! TTT ‘V v . tt
