New Childcare Center Opens on Campus
New facility will offer part-time childcare
Ioana Patringenaru | March 2, 2009
Chancellor Marye Anne Fox (left) and Director Kathryn Owen cut the ribbon for the Mesa Child Care Center.
The number of childcare spots available at UC San Diego increased by 25 percent today, when the new Mesa Child Care Center opened its doors. The center will provide part-time childcare for 48 children ages 2 ½ to 5 years, equally divided between morning and afternoon sessions. The facility is located in the Mesa graduate student housing complex.
The university is committed to supporting faculty, students and staff members by providing both full-time and part-time childcare, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said. As the mother of five boys, she often found herself looking for the best setting for her children, she said.
“We’ve understood how vital child care is on our campus,” Fox said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. “We know that our children are our future, and we can do nothing less than give them the very best.”
The new center offers two half-day sessions on weekdays, with the morning session scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon session from 1 to 5 p.m. There is a classroom maximum of 24 students per session, with one lead teacher and two to three assistant teachers. Spots are still available and the center is accepting applications.
Kindergarten and preschool children at the Early Childhood Education Center sing during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The part-time program emphasizes hands-on, child-driven learning inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, said Kathryn Owen, who oversees the new center, as well as the campus’ Early Childhood Education Center.
“We’re not just expanding childcare, but we’re also upholding a high standard of education,” Owen said.
The new center includes several green features, such as furniture made of natural materials, an herb garden and natural lighting and ventilation. Officials are working towards the Sustainability Gold LEED certification for the building.
Priority enrollment in the new part-time facility was given to the displaced International Cooperative Nursery School members. The school vacated its International Center location of the past 37 years to make room for more international education programs.
A student tries out some of the new center's toys.
The university already provides full-time childcare for more than 200 children, ages 3 months to 5 years at the Early Childhood Education Center, located next door to the Mesa Child Care Center. Officials will continue to study expanding childcare options for the campus community, Fox said.
“Our commitment to childcare is very clear,” she said.
|
