Childcare is a major priority on campus at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, which was proven in 1994 when instead of a new swimming pool, the student senate voted to include a childcare facility within a campus recreation center. This decision intrigued many because the UW System does not mandate campus childcare at any UW institution.

Larry J. Rubin, assistant vice president for academic affairs in the UW System, said childcare offered within the UW System is all institution-based.

“The regent policy states each institution should assess community need for childcare on campus, then they should set a goal to try to provide low-cost childcare services to students, faculty and staff,” he said. “It’s not a directive and doesn’t force campuses, but suggests to them to determine their needs and set goals to meet them.”

Rubin said the UW System does not monitor childcare at UW schools and that each institution regulates internally. If student parents have concerns about childcare facilities, they can take concerns to the institution’s chancellor, and if they are still not satisfied, the student parent can appeal to the Board of Regents.

Cindy Selin, a professor at the UW-La Crosse Campus Child Center, said the center is a great choice in experience and quality.

“We are a nationally accredited center right on campus,” she said.

UW-La Crosse has been accredited for more than five years and offers parent-teacher conferences twice a year for all children enrolled. The center also houses a Parent Lending Library that offers books on parenting issues ranging from bedtime to behavior. Staff at the center videotapes the children periodically for student parents to take home and watch for a candid glimpse of their child’s behavior.

For a full-time student, children between one and two years old have a full-day rate of $22.65, while children aged two years or older have a rate of $18.45 per day.

Although the center gives precedence to children of student parents, it cannot accommodate the childcare needs of all student parents. The center uses a waiting list system, and admittance from the list depends on a child’s age and the time of year.

“The younger the child ratios, the harder it is to get into, due to the ratio of caregivers we offer,” Selin said.

Michael Miyamoto, assistant dean of students at UW-La Crosse, said the university offers a set amount of aid to all enrolled student parents.

“Students pay segregated fees, which take care of some of the costs for them to use center,” he said. “It’s a subsidized rate, so it’s the same for each student.”

But even though UW-La Crosse’s center cannot provide care for all children, student parents cannot use their aid money at any other centers.

“The center really is a student service, and the children of the faculty enrolled provide a good stable source of income for the center,” Miyamoto said. “Students usually need only an hour or two, while faculty needs all-day childcare.”

UW-La Crosse Campus Child Center serves approximately 80 children per day during school semesters and is licensed to care for children ages one to 12.

Miyamoto said plans to accommodate student parents are in the works, and building is planned to start in 2005.