Imagine the joy of beginning a family--the excitement and nervousness during pregnancy, the anxiousness and delight of the birth, the adjustment period after, and then the hassle of trying to find day care. Particularly if your employer, one of the largest in your community, has no facility that hundreds of employees with children could use.
On Tuesday, April 27, the Union of Professional Employees (UPE), the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, and the Association of Academic Professionals cosponsored a forum on child care at the University of Illinois. About 25 people, including almost a half dozen children, attended the event. The participants were Connie Shapiro, head of the Department of Human and Community Development, Paula Treichler, professor in the Institute of Communications Research and Women's Studies Program, Matt Garcia, assistant professor of history, Rochelle Gutierrez, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, and me, Maeve Reilly, media/communications specialist at WILL. Michael Bérubé, professor of English, hosted the program at the home of the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities in Urbana. Mark Leff of UPE chaired the forum.
Treichler began the discussion with a look at the history of child care on the University of Illinois campus. For the returning vets after World War II, there was child care on campus. Since that time, however, a number of papers exploring the feasibility of child care have been written, and although many of the papers have pointed out that child care on campus would be an asset, little has been done to better the situation for working parents. (See the table on page 3.)
Shapiro spoke about the Child Care Resource Center and the Child Development Lab Preschool in order to clear up misconceptions about the two. The Child Development Lab, although it does have a child care component, is primarily a training ground for students in the School of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. Currently, 96 children attend the school, and Shapiro doesn't see much room for expansion if the lab is to continue its current mission. The enrollment is also balanced by gender, age, and ethnicity for teaching and research purposes, and is not filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Child Care Resource Center is a resource for individuals to find day care throughout the community and also serves as a resource for child care providers for further training. A number of staff members in the audience expressed some frustration with the fact that, although they are trying their best to supply a sufficient number of child care providers for the large need of the community, they are not responsible once children are in day care. They are simply a conduit for the information--which is the mission of their project, but obviously is not enought
The last three participants--Garcia, Gutierrez, and I--spoke about our own individual problems finding affordable quality child care. Garcia and Gutierrez have both given up on finding someone other than their respective spouses to fulfill their day care needs. Both spouses have given up lucrative careers, for the time being, to take care of their children. I, on the other hand, still have my children in child care, but because my husband was a graduate student for several years, I have only had my children in part-time day care. It sounds ideal, but because the child care is part-time, I have gone through seven day care providers in six years.
More discussion followed on nursing rules and regulations around various campus departments.
The discussions was then opened up to the floor and audience members stressed that now is the time to act. Many mentioned that Provost Richard Herman seems inclined to pursue a child care facility on campus. Several audience members suggested ways to draw attention to the plight of parents--including a demonstration on the Quad and a "Shower the Power" baby shower at Swanlund.
It was agreed that Leff and Treichler should approach the provost to discuss the issue further. Stay tuned for details of further forums and events.
| The calls for action: | The responses: | |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Women's Liberation Cadre submitted a proposal to the Board of Trustees requesting a child care center | The need for a center to serve students, staff, and faculty was acknowledged, but administrators chose not to build a daycare center. |
| 1979 | In a major push, Students for Child Care, Orchard Downs residents, and the Campus Committee on Women's Concerns submitted child care center proposals to Vice Chancellor Levy and to SORF. | Same as 1970. |
| 1983 | The Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Women asked the Chancellor for a child care center. | The Chancellor established a child care referral service, but chose not to build a daycare center. |
| 1995 | A white paper to the administration pointed out the need for a child care center. | Working groups were appointed, and a cost analysis was completed, but no center was built. |
| 1996 | The Office of Facility Planning and Management submitted a proposal to the Chancellor's Capital Review Committee. | The Chancellor's committee rejected the proposal, saying that a smaller project was necessary. |
| 1999 | UIUC Has No Child Care Center | |