STEPHANIE CAMPOS-WATSON

The Graduate Center Child Development and Learning Center first opened its doors in September of 2000. The GC had been without childcare since the 1970s, when an informal childcare center briefly operated in the old building on 42nd Street. Then, when the GC was preparing to move to its current location on Fifth Avenue, space was set aside to create a childcare center specifically for the use of GC student parents. President Horowitz says, I felt it was important to bring back a childcare center and supporting me, as well as being the leading advocate for including a center in our new building, was Sue Zalk who was then the Vice President for Student Affairs. So, at the very outset of planning for space use in this building, we included space for a child care center.

CUNY has a long history of supporting student parents. Several colleges had established childcare centers by the early 1970s. In 1976 the Agency for Child Development de-funded these centers and new Human Resources Administration regulations excluded student parents enrolled in four-year colleges from access to publicly funded childcare. As a result, centers either shut down or cut their services and struggled to stay open through the fundraising efforts of students, faculty and community residents. Meanwhile, the need for on-campus childcare continued to rise. In the 1980s students at Medgar Evers College staged sit-in demonstrations and Hunter College President Donna E. Shalala used her office space as a small center. A coalition of CUNY students, staff and administration successfully lobbied the state government for an allocation of $1.5 million for campus childcare to be divided among the senior colleges within the CUNY system. Campus childcare continues to be a part of the CUNY budget.

The Graduate Center Child Development and Learning Center serves a total of 24 children, who are then divided into two classrooms. Each class has two teachers with graduate students from the various psychology departments as assistants. These departments also use the Center for dissertation and other research. The Center is provides high quality and developmentally appropriate early-childhood education. The goal of the program is to provide a nurturing and secure environment where play and exploration is the means by which learning takes place. For parents who are also students, the Center is invaluable as it provides affordable and dependable childcare. Many parents have said that they would not be able to remain students or have time to study and work if it weren’t for the Center.

The Center was founded and is directed by Linda Perrotta, previously of the Bloomingdale Family Program, a Head Start program for the Upper West Side. She is also founder and director of the CUNY Law School childcare center. President Horowitz says, I have had numerous communications from parents of children in the center telling me how pleased they are to have the Center here, how much they appreciate Linda and all the Center staff.

Almost all CUNY schools have some form of childcare. What makes CUNY unique is the subsidized and affordable tuition for childcare and the programs specifically designed for children of CUNY students. Other universities may recommend their students with children to local child care centers, but these parents still have to pay full tuition and may not receive preference on waiting lists.

The childcare center at the GC is funded through state appropriations for CUNY childcare, tuition from parents ($15 per day) and generous donations from the Doctoral Student Council. Some people have also contributed through the CUNY United Way campaign. However, the Center struggles to balance its budget because it is not eligible for most sources of additional funding. For example, CUNY undergraduate campuses are eligible for additional grants because they distribute Pell monies, but the Childcare Center at the GC is ineligible for these grants. In addition, because of the small size of the student body compared to other CUNY schools, the Center does not receive money through student activity fees. Childcare centers on other campuses can depend on this for funding.

The Childcare Center therefore relies on the continued support of the GC community in order to maintain its status as a high quality and affordable resource for student parents. The Center’s staff warmly notes the concern and support of GC students and staff. One of the Center’s upcoming fundraisers invites the GC community to share their favorite recipes to be included in a cookbook. The proceeds from the sale of the cookbook will benefit the Childcare Center. Please forward your recipes by January 16 to Hilry Fisher (hfisher@gc.cuny.edu). Include the name of the dish, the number of people it serves, along with very specific instructions for preparation, (e.g. oven temperature, measurements for ingredients, and steps for preparing). The Center welcomes main dishes, appetizers, soups, and desserts from all who are willing to share. The recipes will be selected and tested by affiliates of the Center.

Also in the works are a Valentine’s Day Bake Sale (thanks to everyone for making the Center’s bake sale this past October their most successful ever!), a Spring Fair, and a special concert in the spring, scheduled for March 18.