Many LI colleges offer on-campus child care to aid student-parents

As costs of child care and tuition continue to climb, on-campus day care sites offered at some Long Island colleges and universities can provide a lifeline for student-parents, according to participants and educators.

Parent Jennifer Buche, 20, of Inwood, is a student studying nursing at Nassau Community College and brings her 1-year-old son, Jonathan, to the program there called "The Children's Greenhouse."

"I drop him off and I start my classes and I pick him up at the end of the day when I'm done," she said. "It’s a relief. Everyone is so nice here and I feel that he is safe when he is here.

"He loves it."

The state-run college and university campuses on Long Island all have child care centers available for students, but some also serve faculty and parents in the community. Statewide, there are 47 such sites at State University of New York campuses. Last year, more than 590 student parents had children enrolled in these programs, according to SUNY officials.

For student-parents who are income-eligible, a child care subsidy is available through the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant. In some cases, subsidies can drop costs to as little as $10 a week, according to Janet Walsh, director of Nassau Community College’s child care center.

Average child care costs on Long Island can add up to more than $20,000 annually for full-time infant care, while annual college tuition at four-year state schools can run $7,070 and at two-year state schools, $5,290.

A study from the nonprofit EdTrust found that a student-parent would have to work 52 hours per week, on average, to cover child care and tuition costs at a four-year public university nationwide. 

"Today across the country, one in five college students is a student-parent, so to have child care on campus can be life changing for a student," SUNY Chancellor John King said at Stony Brook University on Thursday. " It can make it so much easier for them to balance school, work and family responsibilities and we're committed to trying to grow those efforts."

Demand for child care spots has risen significantly statewide, and on some campuses, as many as 80% of students with dependents report they have trouble meeting their child care needs, according to a 2023 SUNY report. SUNY campuses invest about $6 million annually to provide child care services. Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced more than $1.7 million for 200 new spots at 12 SUNY campuses — including funding for Suffolk County Community College.

In Nassau County, the program at the community college is among the longest running, having started more than 40 years ago by faculty parents who wanted day care on site, Walsh said. It’s housed on campus in rooms with Sesame Street murals, play tables, children's books, blocks and a pet guinea pig named Ginger. There's also a large outdoor playground.

"The thing about student-parents having child care on campus, the success rate is so much better for them," Walsh said. "Then you take that same student somewhere else who's bringing the baby to a friend or bringing the baby somewhere else, they don't last. Usually, it all falls apart."

About 90 young children are enrolled and the program can accommodate babies as young as eight weeks to 5-year-olds. The program saw a dip after the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now seeing interest grow. It has served up to 150 children in the past.

It’s licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and Walsh said the preschool curriculum gets children ready for when they are old enough for school.

"We have a writing center, a math center, and then they have the fun things — the sand table, the water table ... [places] where they can do pretend play," she said.

The college converted a former cafeteria into the space, and it is right on campus among the academic buildings.

"If a student-parent comes to the door and they have a class schedule for the fall semester, we will do everything in our power to get that student child care," Walsh said.

SUNY Old Westbury just reopened its on-site child care center this year after it had closed during the pandemic. It has the capacity for 88 children, and 11 children are now enrolled, officials there said. It's run by Academic Explorers — a local provider of early childhood education. It's located in the campus center.

The program also ties in with the college's teacher preparation lessons in its School of Education. College students volunteered in the child care setting and used that time to observe the young children's learning and development.

"What we want to do is recreate those opportunities," said Jo-Ann Robinson, SUNY Old Westbury's executive vice president and chief of staff. As enrollment in the child care program increases, she said that it may open up employment opportunities on campus for education and psychology majors, she said.

The Children's Center at Farmingdale State College serves 82 students and is growing, officials there said. It opened in 1980 and moved into its new on-campus location in 2014, said Debra Vreeland, director of the program. One feature of the program is that some of the young children go on guided walks through campus and "the community is happy to see us," Vreeland said.

The program offers flexibility such as open enrollment through the year and a summer program for children up to age 10.

"They [the college students] are our priority, and our priority is to get them graduated," Vreeland said.

There's a waitlist for spots for child care at Stony Brook University, according to Mary Cain, executive director of the program, where about 31 student-parents have children enrolled in that program.

Suffolk County Community College runs two centers — one on the Ammerman Campus in Selden, and the other on the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood. Combined, the centers host 73 children between the ages of six weeks and five years. The program is open to children of Suffolk students, faculty and staff, Suffolk County employees, and community residents.

"Many folks don't realize that we offer child care on many of our campuses, and many folks don't realize that child care is often subsidized child care," King said.

 

By Joie Tyrrell

joie.tyrrell@newsday.com@JoieTyrrell

Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.