University child care salaries, costs rising

The base salary for university child care providers is rising.\nBut so is child care fees, to the tune of up to 16 percent, or an additional $300 each semester.\nThe annual base pay for lead teachers has been raised from $20,800 to $22,900. According Marty Lash, director of Campus Children's Center, only one of the three lead teachers in the Campus Children's Center program will see benefits from the pay raise. Two teachers in the program have already passed the base level pay.\n"Each of those teachers has a M.S. degree and over five years experience. So you can see that the entire pay scale needs to be adjusted," Lash said. "But addressing the base is a good start."\nIt's only the first of changes concerning the child care providers at IU. \nThe cost of infant and toddler care is also rising, said Tim Dunnick, coordinator for child care services. Each year there are expense adjustments made. Usually the cost of care would go up 3-to-5 percent a year to keep up with the usual increase of expenses. According to Dunnuck after a cost analysis was done for the expenses for infant and toddler care they found that they would need about $225 to $250 a week from the families. Infant and toddler care expenses rose 16 percent. Last year's weekly rate was $163, now this year's is $183 at Campus View Child Care Center, the only licensed center on campus available for infant and toddler care. .\n"Unfortunately, to keep up with usual increases in expenses, we do need to increase our fees 4-to-5 percent annually, which can be difficult for parents," Lash said.\nDunnuck, is also in the process of putting a proposal together requesting more infant and toddlers slots on campus. \nCurrently there are over 75 names waitlisted for 18 infant and toddler slots. The proposal will ask for 50 more slots to be added for infant and toddler care. They hope to add these slots in at Campus Children's Center and Hoosier Courts Nursery School, the two other licensed facilities on campus.\nLash said he supports the possibility of adding infant and toddler slots at Campus Children's Center. \n"We are very excited to be addressing this need that so many of our parents and IU employees have been requesting over the years," Lash said. "At the same time, we are well aware of extra work this will entail for our program."\nIf this proposal is approved it still may be sometime before these slots are created. Dunnuck said he hopes to have the proposal to IUB Chancellor Sharon Brehm by the end of the semester. If the proposal is approved then the day care facilities adding infant and toddler slots will need to under go renovations.\nDunnuck said renovations would take at least a year for both Campus Children's Center and Hoosier Courts Nursery School.\nAlong with all these changes, Dunnuck hopes to see a change with child care all around. Dunnuck said a recent research study about quality factors for child care centers prompted the IUB Child Care Coalition to revise some of the older regulations. Some of the new requirements require a potential lead teacher to have at least a Child Development Associate Credential or an Associates Degree rather than a high school diploma, which is required by the current regulations. IU child care centers currently require at least a Bachelor's degree for lead teachers. There were also changes made to the curriculum for young children, and more requirements the maximum group size for preschool age children. There have been more changes and Dunnuck says the committee wants to write new regulations in a more understandable format and language.