Campus supports student parents

Temi Fajemisin / Roundup

ith the current economy and the rise in tuition due to cuts to the state budget, it has become a lot more difficult for Pierce College students.

Thankfully, Pierce does offer support to students and faculty who have children with its Child Development Center (CDC).

“The CDC was begun as a student service with the mission being to provide a child development center for the student parents,” said League Teacher Diana Deutsch.

If the center isn’t full upon enrollment deadlines, it opens its doors to the community as well.

Director of the Child Development Center Phyllis Schneider talks about the center being a helping hand to the Pierce parents who have kids.

“The Pierce College Child Development Center is here to serve [not only] the children of Pierce students, but also the community,” said Schneider. “We have children from the community that also attend the center, so there is a variety of opportunity here.”

The CDC also has a day care center. Personnel there take care of children ages 2 years and 9 months to 5 years. Children have to be toilet trained in order to get into into the day care.

Children at the CDC have a fixed schedule that includes: “outside time,” when they are able to play in the playground; “inside time,” when they learn lessons from a variety of curriculum areas; and story time.

Breakfast and lunch are also served at the center.

The Child Development Center is a state-funded program, which means that it is offered on very minimal charges.

The state pays for the preschool, and in order to qualify, families have to be of low income.The center is also open to Pierce employees for a low price.

WIn order for a student parent to be eligible for this program, the student must be enrolled in a minimum of six units and earn income that falls under the income guidelines for the State of California, according to the Pierce College CDC webpage.

It is a full-day center, open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The reason why we’re done at 4 p.m. is because our hours were designed to match the class schedule at Pierce,” said Schneider. “So many of the classes end at 4 p.m.

That’s why the center does as well.”

Not only have the budget cuts affected the education at Pierce, but it’s also affected the CDC as well.

“Some of the funding has been cut. Thats why we’re no longer open till 7 p.m. In fact, this year some families are having to give us a small monthly tuition fee which never used to be the case,” said Schneider.

The center has provided hundreds of Pierce student parents a chance at furthering their education.

“The CDC has helped me to continue my education. Without the preschool here I wouldn’t be able to continue going to Pierce.” said Child Development major Jennifer Rauterkus.

For more information about the Child Development Center, visit http://www.piercecollege.edu/ offices/child_development_center or call (818) 719-6494.