West Virginia University’s Child Development and Family Support Services Office has received a financial boost from the U.S. Department of Education to create new child care programs and services for WVU student parents.
p. The grant, from the Education Department’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program, will provide WVU about $84,939 in the first year for a total $360,700 over a four-year project period, contingent on available federal funds.
“The funding is a significant contribution that will support the University in the implementation of a multi-phase plan to address the child care needs of our campus,”said Leslie Haning, director of WVU ’s Child Development and Family Support Services.
“The need for affordable high-quality child care is an ongoing concern for all families and especially for low-income families,”Haning added.”As supported by previous recommendations by the WVU Child Care Advisory Committee, the WVU Non-traditional Students and the WVU Council for Women’s Concerns, there is a definite need for affordable high-quality child care for the WVU campus.”
In West Virginia, annual child care costs average $4,238 per year for 4-year-olds and $5,538 for infants in urban areas, according to the”Children’s Defense Fund, Children in the States 2001.”That is more than the state’s average college tuition of $2,337 per year, meaning affordable high-quality child care is not within the reach of most families on the WVU campus.
“College students’child care needs differ from the typical working parent,”Haning said.”Many student parents only need part-time care on the days they have classes, write papers or study for exams.
“A child development center on or near campus with flexible scheduling would offer students a cost-effective alternative that would allow them to complete their degrees,”she added.”This grant will guide the University in the planning and establishment of such a center. Partnering with community child care centers through a contractual agreement for the provision of child care services is also being explored.”
The grant will support the following program objectives:
- Establish new child care programs to serve the child care needs of low-income
- Develop an Office for Child Development&Family Support Services on campus to coordinate and disseminate information about the services supported by the grant
- Subsidize the cost of quality child care and assist with the financial burden of quality care through financial assistance
- Develop and provide a family resource center to serve as a support system for student parents
The Office for Child Development and Support Services and the Family Resource Center will be housed on the first floor of Purinton House on the downtown campus.
“The Child Development and Family Support Services office serves as a coordination point for current or potential WVU students and employees seeking child care information,”Haning said.
The Family Resource Center will provide educational materials promoting positive parenting through a lending library and a Web site. Children’s literacy activity kits will also be available for families with young children to borrow to promote learning, language and literacy at home.
The Web site will contain information regarding child care services supported through the grant; tips for identifying, selecting and applying for quality child care services; and information regarding financial assistance for low-income student parents. An online interactive survey will be posted on the site before the end of this semester to assess the campus child care needs.
“Pursuing a college education can be challenging for anyone, particularly WVU students with children,”Haning said.”Our goal is to provide our students with increased support for their families so they are better able to concentrate on what they came here forearning a degree.”
Students who are also parents are encouraged to e-mail Child Development and Family Support Services at childcare@mail.wvu.edu so that they can be added to our listserv for program and service updates.