Oregon daily emerald., August 09, 2005, Page 4, Image 4

Child Care: Parents celebrate Child Care and Development Centers
Hasanc, Cheon | Freelance photographer
Annie Sneed gets her face painted at the Birthday Bash at the Moss Street Children's Center on Wednesday evening,
Continued from page 1
At the time, child care was
considered an important step in
creating equal access to education,
especially for women, according
to Reynolds.
A committee was formed to
study the issue and respond to
student demands.
‘The study committee recom
mended an allocation of University
space,” Reynolds said.
A temporary facility was set up in
an old house on Moss Street.
“Nobody was sure if this was
something that was going to work. It
was kind of an experimental thing,”
Reynolds said.
Within two years, the program had
expanded beyond the Moss Street fa
cility. Over 35 years, the CCDC was
housed in a variety of buildings.
“During that whole period of time,
the Child Care Development Center
has continued to focus on removing
child care as a barrier for students
coming to the University of Oregon,”
Reynolds said.
In early 2004, CCDC moved into
a new facility especially built for
the program.
“Old houses worked, but they
were never designed to be child-care
centers,” Reynolds said.
Student leaders and student
groups were instrumental in moving
the program to its current location,
according to Reynolds.
“We finally moved to a place
where the quality of our nationally
accredited program is reflected in the
quality of our facility.”
One of the advantages to the new
facility, Reynolds said, is the ability
to hold events for all the parents
and kids involved in the program,
such as the anniversary celebration
held last week.
For may years, the CCDC had held
an anniversary celebration in the
summer. However, it was usually a
lunch-time event for the children.
This year, for the 35th anniversary,
staff and parents decided to expand
the event.
“We shifted the focus from kids to
kids and parents — to families,”
Reynolds said.
The celebration included a barbecue,
birthday cake, activities and music.
Psychology professor Ulrich Mayr
sends his daughter to CCDC.
“It’s the best thing that could hap
pen for our daughter,” Mayr said.
“The staff is very dedicated.”
The “variety and different people
she can relate to,” is a major strength
of the program, Mayr said. “That’s
been very positive for us.”
Because priority on space is given
to children of students rather than
children of faculty, Mayr was not able
to send his younger child to CCDC.
“We tried to get our younger one in
there, but we couldn’t so we had to
send him somewhere else, at least for
now. Definitely we would send all
Hasang Cheon | Freelance photographer
Elijah, left, plays on the monkey bars with his father, Eric Weilbacher, at the 35th anniversary
celebration for the University’s child-care program.
our kids here if we could,” Mayr said.
University law school alumna Jen
nifer Hisey sends her two daughters
to CCDC.
“They love it here,” Hisey said.
“They like everything about going
to school.”
Hisey said she especially appreci
ates the interactivity of the program
and the opportunity for the children
to take field trips.
“The teachers are great; there are
lots of activities,” Hisey said. “I’m
glad I found a safe environment that
can enrich their daily lives.”
The program’s relatively small
adult to student ratio is also impor
tant, said Hisey.
“I think it’s a good program. I al
ways recommend it. ”
gabebradley@ dailyemerald, com
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