Big changes could be in the near future for the Children’s Center at IU Southeast.
Children’s Center Coodinator Wanda Gregory said she is exploring the possibility of making changes in the services offered by the Children’s Center.
“We are currently looking to extending our services to the community,” Gregory said.
Gregory said the Children’s Center is also looking at making their services contingent on a contract, similar to those of childcare providers in the community.
Such contracts typically require parents to still pay for services if their child doesn’t attend and require a commitment for a specified amount of time.
“We would like to generate more revenue for the Children’s Center,” Gregory said. “We never really know what our revenue is going to be.”
Gregory said it is difficult to staff the Children’s Center because of the irregular use of the facility. The Children’s Center currently provides drop-off service, where students and faculty can leave their children without having to give prior notice.
Seuth Chaleunphonh, dean of Student Life, said despite the possibility of opening up the Children’s Center to the public, students will still have priority.
“We’ve always agreed the services are for students first,” Chaleunphonh said.
While there is no specific timetable, Chaleunphonh said the information gathering should be completed within the next couple months.
“We’re hoping to complete it this semester,” Chaleunphonh said. “The sooner, the better.”
Chaleunphonh said the Children’s Center is also looking at revising the operating hours to make the service more amenable to community use. The current operating hours of the Children’s Center are 7:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
Gregory said even if changes are made, she expects students to pay a lesser rate than the rest of the community. The current childcare rate is $2.50 per hour for students and $3.50 per hour for faculty.
Gregory said in addition to stabilizing the budget, an increase in revenue would also allow the Children’s Center to expand services. Gregory said there is the potential of adding field-trips to the curriculum and possible building additions.
Janis Ballard, psychology senior, said she used the Children’s Center for five semesters. Ballard said she liked the staff-to-child ratio and the convenience of the service.
“This is the first semester I haven’t used it,” Ballard said. “I like that it’s small, just restricted to the student community.”
Ballard said she would still use the Children’s Center if needed, but will be unaffected by the change because she will graduate next semester.
“I still would use it with a contract, but it was better when you didn’t have to, especially as a college student,” Ballard said.
By MATTHEW LEE MILLER
Staff Writer
mlm5@ius.edu
