Any parent or caregiver knows that finding reliable child care options and resources for their little one can be a pain. To help ease this burden for Wayne State University students, faculty and staff, a newly launched, all-encompassing child care resources website takes out some of the guesswork.
In October 2016, Wayne State’s Office of the Provost created the Daycare Implementation Committee to look into the current state of child care options available to students, staff and faculty, both on campus and in Midtown. Prior to the committee’s implementation, results from an internal survey showed that the campus community was very interested in affordable, quality day care options, both full and part time, for children of all ages. Wayne State currently has two on-campus child care centers (Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute and the College of Education), serving children 2 ½ to 5 years old.
“In our exploration, we recognized that there were a number of ways in which care could be provided from center-based to in-home care,” said Loraleigh Keashly, chair of the Daycare Implementation Committee. “We wanted to share those options with families along with financial and material resources to facilitate their decision-making. This website is a step in that direction.”
The child care resources website offers a simple and easy-to-use menu of resources for parents with questions about:
- General resources
- Wayne State policies and benefits
- WSU child care centers
- Metro Detroit child care resources
- Child care provider agencies
- State-based resources
- Federal tax subsidies
- Free to low-cost child care materials
- Special needs resources
- Opportunities and activities for families
”In addition to seeking out childcare, parents need other child-related supports, such as clothing [including diapers], formula/food, lactation support and car seats,” said Keashly, who is also a professor of communication and associate dean in Wayne State’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. “There are local organizations that can help provide this access, particularly for those with reduced financial resources. Parents need to know about these and we hope this site will help them.”
For additional questions or to share other resources you feel the Daycare Implementation Committee should include on the child care resources website, please reach out to Keashly at 313-577-5747 or l.keashly@wayne.edu.