UNM's Child Care Center is expanding to offer more support to students with families - something that many students may not even know about.
Elena Aguirre, the center's director, said the program is so vital to the UNM community that she doesn't understand why more students don't know about it.
"It seems like no matter how hard we try, there's always people out there who don't know that we're here," Aguirre said.
She added that it is especially perplexing since the center is partially funded by student fees.
Aguirre said that the center's expansion is being funded by UNM system revenue bond proceeds. The center built one structure and is in the process of building a second, which she said should be completed by January 2003.
According to the center's Web site, the project costs $3.5 million.
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Aguirre said the program's main focus is helping parents get their college degrees to create a better life for their children. She said that the center offers a variety of options for parents, including before- and after-school care for school-age children; care for infants, one-year-olds, two-year-olds and three-year-olds; and care for four-year-olds and five-year-olds.
Aguirre added that each classroom has a teacher with a bachelor's degree, unlike many other child-care programs that only require that teachers have a 45-hour course or an associate degree.
She added that each teacher has an assistant teacher who must have a high school diploma or a GED. She said that all other staff members are students from UNM or the Technical Vocational Institute.
Aguirre said all instruction is hands-on.
"We believe that children learn through play," she said. "So we do a lot of water play, a lot of finger painting, a lot of singing."
Aguirre said that the center has an open-door policy and encourages parents to come visit the facility to observe the teachers and children. She added that the Center's Web site also allows parents to register children on the waiting list.
She recommended that parents get on the waiting list as soon they discover their pregnancies because the classes fill up quickly.
"There's always a waiting list for our infant/toddler program and that's because there's not a lot of care available in the community for that age group," Aguirre said.
She added that a waiting list exists for the school-age summer program, as well, so parents should get on the list quickly.
Aguirre said that enrollment has been high lately.
"For the last couple of years, we have been close to 100 percent enrolled," she said.
Also, Aguirre said that although student fees partially fund the center, students, staff and faculty still pay an additional fee for their children. She said the fee for babies is $465 a month for students and $650 for staff and faculty.
She said although it is still expensive, especially for students, the rates also are comparable to other child-care centers in the community. Aguirre added that if students still can't afford the fees, then the family might qualify for state funding.
Aguirre said that the center has been accredited for nine years and the state also has a program called Aim High, which judges the quality of child-care centers and UNM has received the highest rating.
The UNM Child Care Center is located in the G parking lot at 1210 University Blvd. NE. Aguirre said it is convenient for parents to get a G-lot parking permit, drop their children off at the center and then catch the shuttle to class.
For more information on the center, call 277-3365.
