University task force to increase child care availability

Purdue University President Mung Chiang has formed a task force to increase the available capacity of two of the three child care centers that operate on campus, which serve children ages 6 weeks to school age. The panel will explore opportunities for growth at the centers and seek innovative solutions to remove staffing bottlenecks that have led simultaneously to a waitlist and unused physical capacity.

The centers are open to children of Purdue faculty, staff and students. They also fulfill a need in the community for high-quality early education and care while providing support for child development research as part of Purdue’s learning, discovery and engagement missions.

“Our university community’s sustained and further success depends on housing, transportation, healthcare and child care. Last year we took some actions on the first two factors, and this year we will work on the other two,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “In particular, child care for children under the age of six, as well as after-school care for elementary and intermediate school children, are essential for the productivity, retention and recruiting of talents with young families at our university. The task force has identified data about the waitlists and solutions, both immediate and long-term ones, worth trying. Now we must take actions to increase capacity and reduce the child care waitlist for our colleagues.” 

In related news, Purdue and Lilly Endowment Inc. recently announced a five-year, $25 million grant, of which a portion of the funding will support expansion and access to child care centers in a seven-county region including Tippecanoe County and Greater Lafayette as part of the county.  

The task force has been charged with identifying ways to remove bottlenecks and fully utilize existing child care’s facility capacity to help meet the need for child care by faculty and staff. It will also assess ways to strengthen the adequacy of facilities and the outreach strategies employed to connect with families seeking child care.

It will also assess ways to strengthen the business operations of the three centers, including the Ben and Maxine Miller Child Development Laboratory School, the Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center and the Purdue University Early Care and Education Center.

“There are market conditions and challenges — including staffing and costs — that bring this team together to solve for, to make child care even better for Purdue and the community,” said Roberto Gallardo, vice president for engagement, who will lead the task force. “We’re trying to do our part in our community to solve challenges that affect child care nationwide.”

This diverse team, comprising educators, child care specialists and administrators, will bring a wealth of expertise to the table. In addition to Gallardo, initial members of the task force include Rob Wynkoop, vice president for auxiliary services, Administrative Operations; Jessica Robertson, chief operating officer, auxiliary services; Candace Shaffer, associate vice president, benefits and payroll, Human Resources; Elizabeth Schlesinger-Devlin, director, Ben and Maxine Miller Child Development Laboratory School; Maureen Weber, president and CEO, Early Learning Indiana; and the Office of the First Lady. Additional colleagues will be added to the task force as long-term capacity addition gets explored as well.   

“We are aware child care for our Purdue community is a pressing issue. I’m very excited to be given the opportunity to work on this with a phenomenal team,” Gallardo said.

The task force is expected to deliver a plan for actions during the first quarter of 2024.

Writer/media contact: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu

Source: Roberto Gallardo