The Children's School at SSU has recently been awarded a $60,000 grant from the S.H. Cowell Foundation for construction of a new Infant/Toddler Center. An additional $67,500 gift made by individual donor Peggy Schaefer and $11,500 in funding provided by the Associated Students provided the final costs of construction. A yearly operational funding increase of $57,000 provided by the State Department of Education completes the package.
The current Child Care Center provides care for children, aged 2-5, of SSU students, faculty and staff. In 1997, the State Department of Education requested proposals for infant child-care programs that could provide care for younger children, ages 1 to 2 years, and last December the Children's Center responded with its proposal for the Infant/Toddler Center. The proposal was accepted this past March.
"The development of the Infant/Toddler Center has been a marvelous collaboration between the Children's School, Associated Students, the Student Union, Peggy Schaefer, the S.H. Cowell Foundation and various departments at the University," according to Vice President of Student Affairs Rand Link.
In addition to providing needed care for the infants and toddlers of SSU students, faculty and staff, the new Center will also provide SSU students with valuable educational opportunities through interning at the center.
The program itself will provide care for no more than 12 infants and toddlers on any given day and will be staffed by one new teacher and three student assistants, resulting in a three-to-one ratio of child to adult. Fifteen families are already registered for the new program and a total of 20 families are expected to participate.
The new 24 x 40 ft. facility has been built along the west side of the current Child Care Center and was custom-designed specifically for its younger children. It includes an observation area for parents and interns to observe the children from behind a one-way mirror, a nap area, a potty-training area, and a central play area.
