Parents across campus soon will have somewhere to take their little ones as plans to build a campus childcare center are underway. The center will begin accepting enrollment applications sometime in March or April, said Mary Sciaraffa, the center’s director.
The center will be located on the south side of campus, behind the south CEBA parking lot. According to Sciaraffa, construction will begin after the groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 26. Construction should take about 240 days, allowing the center to be open for business by January 2004.
The funding for the center will come in the form of a loan from LSU. Because the center will act as a self-supporting unit with self-generating funds, it will be able to pay back the loans afterward.
The center will accept children between the ages of six weeks and five years old.
Sciaraffa said the center will be able to enroll about 150 children in the program. It will accept 50 from full-time students, 50 from faculty and 50 from staff. The center also may accept community children, but LSU faculty, staff and students will receive first priority.
The building will be 15,315 square feet and will include 15 classrooms and a multi-purpose room.
The center will offer a curriculum that will instruct children in five areas: cognitive, which includes mathematics, science and social studies; language and literacy; social and emotional; health and physical; and creative arts.
The center will house three separate programs, including infants/toddlers, pre-school and a flex-care program. The Flex-Care program will be open to children ages two to five. It will allow flexible scheduling for families and only will be available when classes are in session.
Sciaraffa would not say how much tuition for the center would cost, awaiting Chancellor Mark Emmert’s approval of the amount.
Sciaraffa said a 1997 survey conducted by LSU Facility Services shows there is a huge response for a childcare center on the LSU campus. More than 400 people responded to the need for the center.
Becky Ropers-Huilman, an associate professor in educational leadership, research and counseling, said she has a 2 1/2 year old she plans to enroll in the center. She said having the center on campus will be more reassuring to her because she can get there quickly if something goes wrong. It also would eliminate long drives to a daycare away from campus.
Students said the center could fulfill a need on campus.
“My mom attended law school at LSU when I was little,” said Mollie Nobile, a psychology junior. “And it would have been more convenient if she could have picked us up on campus rather than driving all over.”
Psychology senior Ryan Dunlap said depending on what type of services the center offers, it will open more opportunities for the entire campus.
Childcare center officials said the center will reduce absences from classes, while increasing outside funding and enhancing educational and training programs located on campus.
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, children enrolled in high-quality childcare programs usually earn higher salaries, cause trouble less frequently and have higher IQs.