President Barbara R. Snyder has appointed a new committee on child care options to evaluate the impact of existing university programs and assess the cost and value of additional initiatives. As one of its first steps, the group is asking members of the campus community to complete a brief online survey, found here.
While on-campus child care had been discussed for several years before Snyder arrived in 2007, earlier efforts to raise significant funds or forge partnerships with nearby institutions had not yielded results. In 2008, Snyder charged a new committee to look at the broad landscape of options, including centers as well as options for subsidies and other assistance. The president urged the group to offer recommendations that could be implemented immediately, as well as those that might take longer to complete.
As a result of the committee’s work, the university has offered new child care benefits involving travel and emergency child care. Details regarding these programs can be found here. But since the committee completed its work in 2009, a then-promising option for the university to partner with another organization to provide care close to campus failed to materialize.
“Child care is an issue I still hear about often,” President Snyder said. “The first president’s committee did an outstanding job of collecting information and offering creative, realistic recommendations. I look forward to a similarly useful and high-quality effort from this group.”
The group is co-chaired by Eileen Anderson-Fye, assistant professor of anthropology, and Amy Sheldon, benefits manager. Its vice chair is LaShanda Korley, Climo Assistant Professor of Macromolecular Science and Engineering. The committee will report this spring. Those with questions or suggestions for the committee can email pccco@case.edu.