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Exciting
Time for UCSF Child Care Child care services at UCSF are becoming
bigger and brighter thanks to plans for a new center at
the Laurel Heights campus and to recent renovations at
the Parnassus center. Requests for Proposals have been
sent to potential childcare providers to run the future
center, targeted to open January 1999. Meanwhile, with
new skylights and a fresh paint job, the Marilyn Reed
Lucia Child Care Study Center, which opened in 1979 at
the corner of Third and Parnassus Avenues, remains as
popular as ever.
“All of the sprucing
up, the kids noticed it,” said lead teacher Laura
Wilson. “A bright, cheerful atmosphere enhances the
general well-being of the kids.” Workers and
volunteers, including parents, faculty and staff, made
improvements that include: four skylights, a new roof,
new windows, a storage shed in the yard, refinished
chairs, flowers/ shrubs and replacement of exterior wall
siding.
Running
at near capacity, the Parnassus center still has
a few spots available, especially for three- and
four-year-olds, said David Worton, the new UCSF
Child Care Director. UCSF also runs the Child
Development Center at Mission Center, 1855 Folsom
Street, which has several openings for two- to
five-year-olds. “People are very pleased
with the program at Mission Center,” said
Worton, who is confident that word-of-mouth
praise will increase demand for the program. The
majority of slots at both centers are reserved
for the children of UCSF faculty, staff and
students, while 10 to 20 percent are made
available to the outside community. Children may
be placed on the waiting list at 18 months old.
The future Laurel Heights Child Care Center,
which will make 60 percent of its enrollment open
to UCSF faculty, staff and students, will accept
infants and toddlers.
The UCSF child
care programs are geared to working parents,
operating weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
year-round and offering children breakfast, lunch
and two snacks a day. The centers offer a
developmental program, integrating learning into
activities, such as sand play, music and art,
throughout the day. Emphasis is on social
development, with staff teaching children how to
feel good about themselves, get along with each
other and problem solve. Both centers maintain a
six-to-one students to teacher ratio, well beyond
the state requirement of one teacher to every 12
students. The centers are accredited by the National Association for
the Education of Young Children.
“We offer a
wide variety of activities, indoor and out,”
Worton said. Both centers have a playground
directly accessible from the playroom. Staff
encourage play that develops exploration and
interaction, but are always mindful of the
child’s developmental stage. “Our basic
focus is on safety and health and that the staff
learn about each child and get to know them as
individuals,” Worton said. The teachers and
older children take frequent field trips to
Golden Gate Park and throughout the campus.
Nursing and dental students make annual visits,
teaching kids about hand-washing and
tooth-brushing.
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Finding Child Care Made Easy Finding quality child care
is a daunting task for most working parents. At
UCSF, this sometimes stressful endeavor is made
easier through the Child and Elder Care Referral
Service. In the seven years it has existed, the
referral service has doubled its placement of
children in local childcare centers and has
enjoyed many repeat customers. The service, which
is free to UCSF faculty, staff and students,
helps parents define their child care needs, then
provides them with referrals to several potential
providers.
“We do a
really thorough intake, trying to hone in on
what’s important to the parent and family
and then assess what we think would be
best,” said Jane Mahakian, program
coordinator. The service does not end with a
successful placement -- it continues with visits
to the centers and follow-ups with the families.
The referral
service will soon publish a handbook which
Mahakian describes as “definitive on finding
child care.” It will include what to look
for in a childcare provider and what questions to
ask. Issues to consider include: budget,
location, hours of child care needed, activities,
environment and respect of cultural values.
Mahakian suggests dropping in unannounced at
potential childcare facilities and observing how
your child interacts with the staff.
Below are some of
the questions Mahakian suggests parents ask
potential childcare providers:
- How long has
the facility been licensed?
- How many
children is the facility licensed for?
- What’s
the center’s policy if the child
gets injured?
- Are meals
provided?
- What, if any,
is the curriculum like?
- What types of
background checks does the facility do
for staff? Are references thoroughly
checked?
- Are there
field trips?
- Does the
staff have current health and safety
training?
The referral
service also offers workshops, seminars, and an
annual childcare fair and is starting a support
group for parents this fall. Mahakian will talk
about choosing a childcare provider at the
upcoming UCSF Baby Fair on Saturday, Sept. 13.
For more information, call Mahakian at 476-2692.
UCSF students should call Pauline Lee at
502-7816.
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In addition to programs
for children, the centers are also used by UCSF faculty
for research purposes. A study by Tom Boyce, director of
the Division of Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics,
into the correlation of peer interaction, social skills
and stress in young children was recently conducted at
the Parnassus center. Participation is voluntary and
studies must have the approval of UCSF’s Human
Subjects Committee as well as the childcare centers.
Wilson believes having
researchers on-site benefits the kids and the teachers.
“We get a different perspective of the children and
are able to take advantage of the expertise of the rest
of the campus,” she said. Also beneficial to the
children and teachers alike is the proximity of many of
the parents; they can stop in for lunch to play with
their children and also share their particular knowledge
with the teachers. “We have parents who are experts
in different fields and we can tap into their knowledge
and sometimes share that with other parents,” Wilson
said.
And the parents love the
convenience of the center, being able to easily drop off
and pick up their children. “As a working parent, it
is so nice to leave work and walk across the street and
there’s your child,” said Mariann Ward, a nurse
practitioner in neurosurgery, whose daughter Stacey is
enrolled at the Parnassus center. “It also gives the
kids a sense of security knowing that the parents are
close by.” Because Ward does not work on Wednesdays,
Stacey goes to the center four days a week. “The
program is very adaptable to working parents’
schedules,” Ward said.
When Ward enrolled Stacey
at the Parnassus center last February (enrollment is open
throughout the year), she was concerned the transition
would be tough. But, she said, the staff and other
children have made Stacey’s experience there very
comfortable. “She loves it. She thrives and is very
social,” Ward said. “They’re happy
children.”
With a fresh look and a
new director, childcare at UCSF is going through a sort
of rebirth. Al Minvielle, Director of Millberry Programs
and Services, helped coordinate volunteers for the
renovations and said the efforts symbolize the UCSF
community’s appreciation of the center.
“It’s a demonstration of some community,”
Minvielle said. “So many people need that service
during their tenure here and it really provides a great
value.”
If interested in UCSF
child care services, contact David Worton or Elizabeth
Kong at 476-1616.
By Paula Murphy
1st appeared 9/8/97
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