Campus Child Care
celebrates 25 years of
providing ‘peace of mind’

by Mark McGowan

True or false? The freshman class of 1978 numbered only 30, and their parents paid just $1 an hour for them to attend.

Surprise: It’s true – although this “freshman class” is actually the first group of children ages 2 to 5 who were enrolled at the NIU Campus Child Care Center when it opened a quarter-century ago this fall.

“It all started with a group of people who saw a need for child care on campus, specifically for student families, so they went to the Student Association and got some funding,” said Christine Herrmann, the center’s third director. “They were looking for additional space after the first year. They already needed to grow.”

Gabel Hall 170 served as the original 1,800-square-foot home to the center, which now enjoys its own 16,000-square-foot building on Annie Glidden Road just southwest of Gabel.

“This building is hugely beneficial,” Herrmann said. “It’s important to have a facility really built for children and their families. Every space we have is so utilized, because it’s really built specifically for the needs of children.”

Small-sized amenities include miniature toilets, tables, chairs, sofas and hat racks as well as sinks and drinking fountains so close to the floor adults must kneel to use them. The 10-classroom facility also features a large motor room where children play and exercise, a parent conference room, a private nursing room, two-way-mirrored observation rooms for parents or for students conducting research and several laundry machines.

But the building, which opened in the fall of 2000, is just one of many changes.

Only students could enroll their children at first, although now the center accepts children of faculty and staff. Still, 70 percent of the 115 children enrolled this year are the offspring of students.

The center itself is open year-round rather than just during the fall and spring semesters, and ages now range from as young as two months to as old as 10 years.

First director Chris McKillip’s original staff consisted of three full-time teachers, a part-time secretary and some student workers. Now Herrmann, who succeeded second director Diane Kubetz, oversees an assistant director, 14 teachers, a full-time secretary, 50 students workers and a kitchen helper.

Children then could stay no more than five hours a day because no nap time was offered. Parents chose a five-hour block – for example, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or noon to 5 p.m. Now the center accepts young guests anywhere from three to 10 hours a day. Full-time scheduling began in 1987, and napping was added as an option for part-time children in 1994.

Hourly fees of $1 for children of students and $1.25 for children of employees now are based on ranges of age and hours enrolled. In 2001, the center received a four-year federal grant of $327,000 to fund scholarships for those student-parents with legitimate need of reduced child care.

Because no hot meals were provided – an addition in 1987 – children brought their own brown-bag lunches. In 1996, a five-year playground project was completed.

And, in 1992, the center first earned accreditation from the National Academy for Early Childhood Programs, a status it continues to enjoy.

The center provides a structured program, within a play-based setting, designed to meet the children’s developmental needs. Teachers plan and implement an appropriate curriculum that includes activities in art, music, motor skills, dramatic play, language and literacy. A balance of active, quiet, individual and group activities assist in social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

But for parents – especially those who are students trying to balance classes with children and maybe even work – the center mostly offers convenient peace of mind, Herrmann said.

And among the things that have remained constant is the support of the Student Association, which pays 10 percent of the child care fees for each NIU student-parent.

“Students will tell you it’s significant, and Northern is very lucky to have it,” Herrmann said. “Some students choose Northern because of the child care center. I hear that every now and then.”

Plans for the future include expansion of a summer program for school-age children and hiring a couple more teachers to open another pre-school classroom.

Herrmann and her staff will celebrate the 25th anniversary with a logo contest – original, child-related designs incorporating “NIU Campus Child Care” are due on 8½-inch-by-11-inch white paper by the end of the fall semester – and an April open house that coincides with the Week of the Young Child. A nostalgic display from the 1970s forward is planned, and suggestions are welcome.

Many ideas could come from the memory of Herrmann herself, who began at the center in 1980 as a student volunteer in child development, returned for a graduate assistantship and is marking 14 years as a professional there.

“No matter what happens throughout the day, there’s always going to be a funny, little story, something with a child that’ll make you laugh, to share with their parents,” she said. “You always come away with a smile.”

9-29-03