Child Care at Vernon College Essay Example

this challenge is to have center-based support programs such as an affordable childcare center that comes with a number of benefits to the students. First, the childcare center would assist the parent-students successfully complete their studies in college while raising their children. Studies indicate that most of the undergraduate students who find themselves plunged into this kind of situation are never well prepared to handle the challenges that come with parental responsibility (Kenney et al, 10). In as much as they may be fully focused on cultivating their social relationships and learning practices, most are never prepared to handle newborn babies. As such, having a college-based childcare center that considers and appreciates the demands of such students would function as a supportive mechanism, to their educational endeavors as well as the honing their parental skills.

Implementation of a college based childcare center would serve as a crucial platform for the success of students’ right from their personal development point of view. This is because most of the student-parents are always vulnerable of their own individual development. Most especially the young parents who are still in their identity exploration phase, which transitions them to adulthood by helping them have self-understanding through career development. However, having a baby and again wanting to concentrate on their full time studies makes the students fall into a dilemma of adulthood without having minimal support and preparation required for that change.

The college-based childcare center would not only yield benefits to the students who are parents but would also benefit the Vernon College institution. One of the greatest benefits to the college would be in order to increase student enrollment and retention in

the college. Most potential student parents shy away from attending college education due to their overwhelming childcare responsibilities. For the few who join colleges, the prospects of them succeeding is always too minimal since the hardships challenges of matching between child care and studies is always much higher. While the other students have one specific area of focus where they attend classes and study hard to complete assignments the parent-students have to match all these as well as raising their children. In such a situation where the vast majority of their peer students are traditionally younger, they find no organization that can support them and therefore would lose their interest with this college. With the presence of a childcare center, even the college administration would coordinate with specific facilities to take note of some student’s parental responsibilities outside classes for special treatment. When parent-students fail to participate meaningfully in their college activities due to childcare responsibilities, they would feel isolated, demoralized and thus falls at higher risks of dropping out of school. This would have by far reduced the student retention capacity of Vernon College. The students would have no choice but to forgo what Haskins et al (2) refers to as a key component of lifelong economic mobility and stability. To the contrary, if childcare facilities were available, the college would attract more students and increase its retention capacity due to student motivation.

Following the far-reaching benefits that the childcare centers can bring to both the school and the students who are also parents, it is important to consider how to make this program possible. From the onset, a childcare center functions as a unit

of Vernon College and must be carefully planned, constructed and put into operational use. The college must have an action plan to leverage on the core values, strengths and resources it has. Using an appointed Vernon College Child Care center coordinator, the college should seek the management commitment from the local Federal agency that will play a significant role in the development and operation of the facility (Sciarra and Anne, 142). There should be an organizing committee formed whose members comprise of the requisite expertise needed to benefit the project. The childcare center would require financial aid for the purposes of survival. If in any case the college opts for more than one agency to sponsor the center, there shall be need for an interagency agreement signed to establish the participation framework for all agencies to develop the childcare center.

There shall be need for feasibility study detailing the focus groups, the market survey and an evaluation of the space needs. The focus groups would entail the expected child population, their ages, the estimated operational hours and provisional services. The market survey will entail study of other existing childcare centers, fees and operational costs. By the help of the college administration, the committee should evaluate, design and build the desired space. The place should be well equipped with all tools necessary for childcare and development such as toys, consumables and curriculum equipment (Shabazian and Caroline, 60). Using an independent professional, the committee should perform oversight reviews to determine the safety and curriculum issues. The final procedure would be to secure a license for childcare, which would lead to hiring of staff members. With everything in place,

the college administration should help in marketing the childcare program to sensitize the parent-students on the need for such a facility. This will follow the official opening of the facility for it to be operational.

In conclusion, there are valid reasons why we should implement having a childcare at Vernon College. As discussed, the childcare center has a dual benefit in that it would be beneficial to both the students who are parents and the school. The program would benefit the students, as it will enable them complete their studies successfully while performing their parental responsibilities. Students would also benefit by enhancing their personal development. The program would benefit the school by allowing the schools attract more students and increasing the student retention capacity since most parent-students would feel motivated by the program. In a way to make this program come into reality, the college administration must carefully plan, construct and put the childcare center into operational use.

Works Cited

1. Haskins, Ron. "Education and economic mobility." The Economic Mobility Project (2008)
2. Kenney, Karen L, and Carl Mazza. Teen Pregnancy. , 2014. Internet resource
3. Sciarra, Dorothy J, and Anne G. Dorsey Opening and Operating a Successful Child Care Center Albany, N.Y: Delmar/Thomson Learning, 2002. Print.
4. Shabazian, Ani N., and Caroline Li Soga "Making the Right Choice Simple: Selecting Materials for Infants and Toddlers." YC Young Children 69.3 (2014): 60.