New children’s center opens in University Houses

A new campus children’s center opened this month in UW–Madison’s University Houses.

The center will serve as a temporary home for the School of Human Ecology’s Preschool Lab, which will be moving to a new facility on Linden Drive in fall 2012. At that time, the facility in University Houses will become an additional resource center for the existing eight child care centers that serve campus faculty, staff and student parents.

The current campus children’s centers, coordinated by the Office of Child Care and Family Resources, serve more than 600 children and their families each week. The new facility will serve about 60 children.

The centers are an important resource for campus parents, many of whom come to UW–Madison from other parts of the U.S. and many countries around the world, leaving their family support networks behind.

Lynn Edlefson, director of the Office of Child Care and Family Resources, credits the campus children’s centers and financial assistance with recruiting students to UW–Madison. On-campus child care is a major resource needed to retain students in their degree studies and provide needed support to the families and children served, she says.

Student parents who receive financial help for high-quality child care present grade point averages and graduation rates equal to or surpassing, in some instances, their non-student parent peers and serve a very diverse group of students on campus.

Faculty and staff also rely on having access to convenient, quality child care close to work, Edlefson says. About half of those who use the centers are faculty and staff.

The new center and playground is being developed intentionally to strengthen a connection with nature for the children who use it. The outdoor play space includes a natural playground that will add to learning opportunities about science and nature while promoting art and active outdoor play and learning.

For more information, contact Edlefson at ledlefson@provost.wisc.edu.