September 30, 2008
Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center dedicated
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
The $3.08 million Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center, 90 Nimitz Drive, opened Aug. 11 and serves 86 children, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years old. Space for infants previously had been available only on a limited basis at on-campus child-care facilities.
"The center is very important to parents who work at Purdue," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. "Having on-site child care improves work life and helps Purdue attract and retain high-caliber faculty and staff."
Purdue's board of trustees in July 2007 approved naming
 |
The 10,917-square-foot building houses seven classrooms. The infant room and the infant-toddler room each have a capacity of eight children. The toddler room and two rooms for 2-year-olds all have a capacity of 10 children. The preschool 1 and preschool 2 rooms both have a capacity of 20 children.
Outside there are four play areas: one dedicated to infants, one shared between toddlers and 2-year-olds, one for preschoolers, and one shared by everyone.
Patty Jischke toured the facility after it opened last month.
"This center is wonderful, especially for working parents of infants," she said. "It fulfills a need here at Purdue and, at the same time, helps children get a good start in life."
Children's Choice Learning Centers, a privately held company based in Richardson, Texas, manages the center. The company partners with employers nationwide, primarily in health care, entertainment, government and education.
Jane Hammonds, a Purdue alumna with 28 years of experience in early childhood programming, is the center's director.
"Meeting the parents during open sessions in July really helped in making this center work well," she said. "It gave us a chance to see what parents wanted. They wanted educators with a broad experience in education, but who also have experience in arts and language and are multitalented. We found staff who meet those qualifications and who can implement programming for everybody."
Hammonds said during the open sessions from July 14 through the end of July, parents came to the center for one- to two-hour group meetings, based on the age of their child. The parents received information and enrollment packets. At that time, they also set up individual meetings with Hammonds to turn in enrollment paperwork.
Children's Choice uses a literacy-based curriculum that provides a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate curriculum for infants, toddlers, 2-year-olds and preschoolers. All the company's centers have been accredited or are in the process of seeking accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Children.
Hammonds said the group requires a center to be open for one year before it can be accredited and that Children's Choice would apply for accreditation at that time.
Classroom furnishings and outdoor play equipment were selected using the most recent studies for increasing mobility and learning, Hammonds said. WorkLife Programs at Purdue oversees the center's operations and serves as a point of contact for Hammonds and the families.
Parents who want to enroll their child at the center can do so anytime by downloading an enrollment form online at https://www.purdue.edu/hr/Childcare/Center_Enrollment.html. Hammonds said that as of Sept. 15 there was a waiting list for all areas except pre-K, where there were still a few openings.
Martin C. Jischke was president of Purdue from August 2000 through July 15, 2007. During that time, Patty Jischke served as the ambassador for the president. Created by the board of trustees, this position signified her role in organizing and planning events, as well as her service in leadership roles for several organizations.
A lawyer and member of the Oklahoma Bar Association since 1975, she also has served the community in several capacities and is active on the state and national levels. Among her many involvements, she has served on the Trinity Nursing Center for Infant Health board and boards of directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette and the Indiana Youth Institute. She was vice president of the Greater Lafayette Community Development Corp. and was a founding board member of the Dog Park Association of Greater Lafayette.
Patty Jischke worked with university leadership to establish a child-care center for the children of employees. She also initiated a study to measure the impact of reading to children in child-care centers. She also recruited young readers for the study and for a broader Ready to Read program she helped launch.
She served on the boards of Heifer Project International and later the Heifer International Foundation for a total of 12 years. The initiatives help people around the world obtain a sustainable source of food and income with the goal of ending hunger.
She holds a degree in social work, a master's degree in library science and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. She and her husband continue to live in the community.
Writer: Greg McClure, (765) 494-9394, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Sources: Jane Hammonds, (765) 743-6503, jane.hammonds@childrenschoice.com
Ken Sandel, office of the executive vice president and treasurer, (765) 494-0990, sandel@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Photos and video are available by contacting Greg McClure, Purdue News Service, at (765) 494-9394, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Photo Caption:
Patty Jischke addresses the crowd as she hugs her husband, former Purdue President Martin C. Jischke, after inviting him to join her on stage during Tuesday's (Sept. 30) dedication ceremony for the Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center at Purdue. The $3.08 million center opened Aug. 11 and serves 86 children, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years old. (Purdue News Service photo/Andrew Hancock)
To the News Service home page