Since its closure in October of 2020, WSU Vancouver’s Child Development Program is in a lengthy process of rehabilitating its presence on campus, but unfortunately, has no set date for reopening. Although there are still many obstacles facing the CDP due to operations halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and faculty are hopeful about the prospects of resuming their child care services by providing improved accessibility for parents and students within the future program.
Before closing its doors due to financial strain enhanced by the pandemic, the CDP served as a childcare center for students, staff and faculty at the university and the surrounding community. Serving children ages 3 to 5, the program created a unique opportunity for students to have an on-campus childcare center while they attend classes. In efforts to persuade the university in revamping the program, the Associated Students of WSU Vancouver’s president, and senior majoring in integrated strategic communication, Armando Antonino, says they will first focus on the building blocks of provided childcare, ensuring student’s basic needs will become a top priority.
“We might not be able to get to [reopening] within a few months. We are going to have to start small, focusing solely on childcare. Once we have a good idea of how to provide that one service of childcare, we can add the educational pieces and the learning opportunity pieces that we’ve had in the past,” – Armando Antonino
By and large, the people who initially utilized the program were not students, mostly because they could not afford full-time rates. Antonino explains that childcare costs an average of $1,200 per month, which is more than most WSU Vancouver students pay in tuition. Nevertheless, the major concern for students unable to afford childcare services may be solved by the establishment of a subsidy program. In collaboration with the Office of Student Involvement, ASWSUV is launching a child care subsidy initiative for both undergrad and graduate students to utilize. The program began at the beginning of fall semester, and is accessible through OSI’s website.
Despite providing the subsidy program to students, there are still more concerns to take into account when reopening. One research study conducted by Elizabeth Soliday, WSU Vancouver’s human development academic director, shows students also need access to a program that allows room for flexibility with parents’ schedules. However, she argues children who are in the center for a limited amount of hours may have stunted improvement in early learning.
“[Our program] is designed for kids who are there all day, most days of the week. … [Dropping children] in for a couple hours … is serving an important need. But in some ways, it’s a little antithetical to the goals of early learning. There’s not a lot of relationship-building going on [in that model], it’s more like babysitting. We work in the world of evidence-based programs, and we go where the data shows us where quality learning happens,” Soliday said.
Discussions continue for coordinators at the CDP as they search for ways to balance educational equity with basic childcare needs. By receiving help from both ASWSUV and OSI, WSU Vancouver’s faculty and staff ensure they are working earnestly to provide a place for both children and parents to grow within their academics at the university.
Arabelle is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.