The University of Nebraska at Kearney will offer childcare services on campus beginning later this month, announced Chancellor Gladys Styles Johnston at a press conference this morning.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce that childcare will be offered at UNK for the fall semester of 2001-02, pending completion of licensing procedures and development of a sufficient number of subscribers,” said Chancellor Johnston. “My thanks go to the UNK Childcare Task Force and all the others who have worked behind the scenes to make this dream a reality.”
The UNK Childcare Task Force was led by Vice Chancellor Randy Haack and assisted by two specialists in early childhood education from the College of Education faculty, Marsha Fritz and Mindy Young.
Childcare services will be offered for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Friday starting August 27 (with the exception of University recognized holidays). Full-time rates for infants will be $85 per week and for full-time toddlers and preschoolers it will be $80 per week. A complete rate schedule and additional information will soon be available at UNK-Childcare.
Cynthia Crick has been hired as Interim Childcare Director for the new center, which is housed in the Otto Olsen building, Wilma Larsen Child Development Lab. Crick has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education from UNK and has taught preschool and kindergarten children at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Ogallala since 1996. She has also been a substitute teacher and a student teacher in elementary schools in several other western Nebraska communities.
“I am very glad to be back at UNK and be a part of the childcare foundation. It will be very exciting to get the center up and going,” said Crick.
Not only will the childcare center provide long needed, high quality services for children of UNK staff and students, but it will also offer an excellent opportunity for UNK students to observe and participate in its activities.
UNK faculty, staff and students interested in enrolling a child in the on-campus facility should call either Cindy Crick at (308) 865-8793 or UNK Human Resources at (308) 865-8426.
