Child care task force sends proposals to 'U' officials

A University task force focusing on improving and expanding child care options has made student parents and lower-paid staff members a high priority when making its recommendations.

The Child Care Task Force - comprised of 13 people from various factions of the campus - was assembled by Provost Nancy Cantor and Vice President for Student Affairs Maureen Hartford upon a request by the University Board of Regents. The task force was responsible for determining how child care money is allocated, assessing demand for the services and recommending a cohesive University approach to child care.

"The main issues we were looking at were quality, availability and affordability of child care on campus and in the community at large," said Leslie de Pietro, coordinator of the Family Care Resources Program.

De Pietro said the task force made recommendations to build from the strong parts of the University's child care programs.

"One of the main thrusts is that we want to recognize the five U of M child care centers while providing them with more institutional support to maintain quality programs," de Pietro said.

Another task force member, Katie Jewett, a graduate student instructor and parent, said the quality of the University care centers is not in question. The issue is making the care accessible and affordable to members of the University community.

"I think the quality is excellent - some of the best in the state and in the country," Jewett said.

Jewett also said many student parents have benefited greatly from the student child care scholarship program initiated by the Michigan Student Assembly and approved by the regents for the 1997 winter semester. But the demand is greater than the supply, Jewett said, leading the task force to recommend that the University continue to allocate money to the program.

Task force member Fiona Rose, the former MSA president who worked to institute the student scholarship program, said the University can do more to provide feasible child care options to lower-paid University employees.

"It's not a question of finding child care," said Rose, an LSA senior. "It's a question of affording child care."

Some of the task force's short-term recommendations and projected costs include:

* Initiating and developing the home-based sick child program, which would provide care for University employees' ill children.

* Increase the fiscal stability of University Child Care Centers.

In addition to recommending short-term child care changes, the task force suggested the University begin working on several long-term goals. They include:

* Improving the availability of care for infants and toddlers by increasing the capacity of current centers, as well as obtaining and training home-based providers.

* Providing students, faculty and staff with evening child care

Cantor and Hartford, along with other department representatives, will evaluate the task force's report.

"I'm hopeful that the provost and Vice President Hartford will act on these and find ways to make them a high priority in next year's budget," de Pietro said.

Members of the University community are encouraged to comment on the task force's report before University officials make final decisions about the recommendations. In addition to responding via e-mail at childcare.feedback@umich.edu, individuals have until April 8 to send comments to the Provost's office.

04-01-98