In his state of the University address in January, University of Houston Downtown President Max Castillo listed a number of obstacles keeping students, especially low-income students, from achieving their educational goals (Castillo 2007). President Castillo listed problems mostly related to education financing, the idea that much of financial aid funding comes now in the form of loans rather than grants or scholarships. We have identified another potential obstacle facing the students of UHD and would like to request that the university investigate the possibility of eliminating this obstacle for its students.Evidence across Texas and in Houston indicates that there is a child care crisis looming for parents. Fewer state and federal dollars are available to help low-income parents afford the cost of daycares.
And, when there is subsidy money available, there is often a long waiting list to become eligible. Worse yet, some daycare providers are simply refusing to accept the subsidy as it is significantly lower than the amount that they charge non-subsidized clients. Furthermore, when quality daycare is available, there is often a waiting list to even get a child admitted to the program.Finally, many daycare sites that are available are located well outside of downtown, making it inconvenient or even impossible for students to take their children to these facilities.
Our proposal would be for the university to investigate the feasibility of adding an on-site daycare to the programs already offered by the downtown campus. We are quite aware that there is a facility at the University of Houston main campus, but it too has a waiting list, is not convenient for downtown students, and the costs are prohibitive.The simple fact is that almost three-quarters of the UHD student body is at least 22 years old, or older (Factbook 2006). These non-traditional students have special needs not the same as the average 18-year-old college student and in many cases, one of them is daycare. Many parents choose to take classes only when their children will be in school or other arrangements can be made. If a child is ill or school is cancelled, it is extremely likely that a parent will have to miss class, skip study dates or simply be unable to complete their class assignments due to the need to be a parent first.
We believe that if the students of UHD had access to a campus-based daycare facility, class attendance and assignment completion would improve. In general, students who are also parents would improve their academic performance and retention rates for the university would likely improve. University records indicate that in 2006, a mere 52 percent of freshmen remained at the university for their second year (Factbook 2006). We also believe it is likely that people who have been unable to enroll in college because of their commitment to their children might be able to arrange to begin their educations, increasing campus enrollment.
However, much study will be needed before this project can begin. First, a complete survey of the faculty, staff and students needs to be completed to determine who is interested in taking advantage of such a facility and what they would be willing to pay. Current rates at the Child Care Center at the University of Houston are $210 a week for the infant child of a student, $175 a week for a toddler child and $150 for a child eligible for the pre-kindergarten program. Rates are slightly higher for children of staff and faculty.In addition, the university charges a total of $345 in annual fees for building maintenance, arts and crafts supplies and an annual registration fee, presumably to cover administrative costs. While these costs are comparable to much available daycare in Houston, these are not numbers that are attractive to anyone.
And, costs for unregulated, unlicensed daycare sites are not any better. One woman advertising locally last week indicated she charges $6 an hour for child care (Texas Child Care Classifieds 2007). Even if commute time is minimal, for a person with a 40-hour a week job this means at least $240 a week in child care costs.In reality, it probably means closer to $270 a week since most people will need at least half an hour for lunch and to to get to and from work. In addition, even unlicensed providers ask for payment in advance (Texas Child Care Classifieds 2007).
After determining what students, faculty and staff can afford to pay on a weekly basis and what the potential for enrollment might be, the university would have to determine operating costs and where it could house the facility. Clearly, even with recent construction, space on the downtown campus is at a premium and no one ever has extra money lying around.That’s why we would propose that the university consider offering either an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and make the daycare facility a training facility. Though there would still be a need for a trained professional staff, this option could help the university to increase enrollment and could reduce the operating costs of the facility.
The facility would have to be licensed by the Texas Department of Children and Protective Services and would have to meet licensing guidelines and department standards.The university might want to determine if it were feasible to hire a daycare center director and instructor who could begin classes educating future providers about the guidelines and use those students in the design and initial implementation of the program. Students already studying early childhood development would be more likely to understand the flow that is necessary to properly move children from one area to the next and the safety concerns that are associated with having a daycare center in a busy downtown environment.With proper planning, much of the implementation of the center could be done as the first year’s worth of training for the new program. Obviously, this is a broad-spanning proposal and could not be implemented overnight or even within a year. The University will have to determine if there is likely to be sufficient interest in a childhood education program to make the program itself self-sustaining, but a report by a state child care watchdog agency says the state’s child care system is in crisis (“Child Care Crisis” 2007).
The system does not deal with the fact that Texas has a rapidly growing child population and that there is insufficient daycare available for them. In addition, the report indicates a growing number of Texas children are growing up in poverty (“Child Care Crisis” 2007) and that their families need child care assistance. This information, coupled with the potential need within the university community itself, indicates why the university should evaluate the potential for this program and on-site daycare.While we can determine the potential usage among current UHD students, it is impossible to determine how many potential UHD students have been unable to begin college careers because of a lack of affordable daycare or a lack of daycare at all. In its research to determine the feasibility of this project, the university needs to consider the potential impact on enrollment that a daycare center might have. To further reduce operations costs for the daycare, the university should investigate federal food assistance programs, including hot lunch and school breakfast programs.
By applying for and receiving federal government subsidies, the university could help reduce the overall cost of the operation. The university could also supplement the workforce with work-study students. Student workers could provide indirect care for the children, by providing support services such as playground supervision and working in the daycare’s office and kitchen. In some daycares, parents also help reduce operating costs by volunteering at the center.If perhaps a parent-volunteer could be available to cover teachers’ breaks and lunch hours, the university could reduce operating costs and parents could receive a small discount for services based on the number of hours they volunteer each week. The next step would be determining where to locate the facility as it will require a fair amount of space and space is at a premium.
We believe the university should also investigate the possibility of finding a private corporation to help fund the construction of a daycare facility. To be a real benefit to the UHD population, the new facility has to be created without taking away space or services.President Castillo has previously shown the ability to work with private funding agencies and private companies, so the first avenue the university should explore would be some sort of assistance to fund a new facility to house a daycare center. If the university were to determine that operating its own daycare facility was cost prohibitive, the possibility of sub-contracting the benefit out should also be considered. Many universities are finding that leasing space to private corporations can lead to revenue for the university and more benefits for students.On the campus of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, for example, the university leases space in the Student Center to a book store, McDonald’s and Starbuck’s.
In investigating the possibilities, UHD should talk to KinderCare or other daycare center operator to see if it might be more profitable to outsource a daycare center for the university community. However, if they do consider this option, the university should be sure to retain some right to regulate the cost of services provided to the university community.If the university simply provides a daycare facility but does not make it affordable to the university community, the center will likely fail. And, it has provided no benefit at all to its students and community. Ultimately, what we are proposing is that the university investigate the need for daycare for the children of the UHD community. We believe that graduation rates will improve and UHD will be better able to retain students if it helps eliminate all the obstacles standing in the way of education.
For non-traditional students, one of the major obstacles is child care.By evaluating the need, the university can develop a plan that can meet the needs of the university community and build a stronger foundation for the college. We have shown that addressing this issue is addressing the needs of Texas itself. The benefits to the university could be numerous ranging from an increase in student retention to an increase in enrollment. And, the less tangible benefits are also a great benefit to the university. First, there is the good will of students and faculty.
Parents generally feel better when they know that their children are nearby and safe.Second, there is the knowledge that they have done something to improve the status of children in Texas. Considering and acting on this proposal could take a significant amount of time as merely investigating the possibilities will not be cheap. The university will have to commit to a thorough study of the issues and the potential impact for UHD. Planning ahead and providing for the needs of its students should be the number one priority of UHD and under President Castillo it has been.
We believe this is a wonderful opportunity for him to show that commitment again.
