Childcare at UGA on the back burner again

Over a year after WFD consulting completed the childcare analysis at the University of Georgia, officials still have not finished forming a financial analysis for a childcare facility, a university official said.

The university is developing several different models for the development of a childcare facility and forming a financial analysis of each model. However, this process has been postponed due to other concerns, said Provost Arnett Mace.

“Most of the staff is devoted to budget development for the fiscal year. After that is completed we will work on the financial analysis of the models and other issues that are on the back burner right now,” Mace said.

This is not the first time this process has been postponed, according to an article in the Grady Journal. An option was supposed to be presented to President Adams in November. However, budget cuts led the analysis to be postponed.

“As is most things with bureaucracy, it does not surprise me that this is taking forever. I remember signing the petition and answering questions about childcare when I was in school 1-2 years ago,” said Heather Allegood-Fleming, an education specialist at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

In the mean time, the university can provide little help to students, faculty, and staff with children, said Provost Mace.

“I don’t think we have options to do anything on an interim basis in terms of providing care or assisting parents in the UGA community,” Provost Mace said.

Currently there are 195 children on a wait list at the McPhaul center for five classrooms that serve children ages 8 weeks through 4 years, said Amy Kay, the director of the child development lab at the McPhaul center. The average wait is 1-3 years.

 “We frequently refer parents, especially those who are seeking immediate care, to contact the childcare resource and referral agency because they have a compilation of centers, rates, space available, and other information that parents can find useful in locating a center to meet their childcare needs,” Kay said.

Child Care Resource and Referral provides information but will not recommend any specific programs. The lack of recommendations is frustrating for many parents.

“The printout of daycare facilities given out by McPhaul really doesn't help. It is hard to know what is a good place without personal references,” said Heather Allegood-Fleming.

            Provost Mace said that the university does not provide recommendations to other facilities for obvious reasons, but relies on the outside agency to provide this service.

            Still according to the report completed by WFD consulting in February 2008, parents feel that there is a need for more information regarding which childcare facilities provide quality care.

            According to the report, one student said, “We found a local service that gave a list of child care in Athens. But they wouldn’t give a recommendation. We didn’t know what to look for.”

            A staff member said, “The university can develop a referral program, where they can refer you to a center, where the university has developed a relationship with the center.”

            Despite the lack of help from the university, students, faculty and staff with children must find suitable childcare options.

“I have a good amount of experience with trying to find day care that matched my schedule needs. I was waitlisted at McPhaul and found something else on my own,” said Debbie Mitchell, a masters’ student at the university.

            Mitchell has three girls, and she said that getting her children to and from caregivers has often required more than one parent. She added that many students do not have the options that she does.

            “UGA daycare offering reasonable costs and flexible hours would be supporting in a positive way the development of future students, consumers, workers, voters, leaders and parents,” Mitchell said.

Hear what Michael Marshall said regarding the childcare on campus.

Students frustrated, buses absent

The location of the new club sports complex makes it difficult to get to, resulting in frustration for the students who use the complex.

“The location is far from ideal,” Heidi Knoblock, the captain of the women’s lacrosse team said. “I have to plan an additional 15 minutes to make it out there on time, especially with traffic. Also, it is frustrating that a bus does not travel out there, unlike the intramural fields.”

The $2.5 million complex on South Milledge Avenue opened for use by club sports teams on March 23. However, there is no UGA bus service to the location and the nearest bus stop is 1.4 miles away, said Ron Hamlin, the manager of UGA transit.

“I know it does affect some of the guys on our team,” said Peter Dempsey, the captain of the men’s ultimate Frisbee team. “In the past they rode their bikes to the intramural fields. It’s a little bit harder to get out there to the new complex on a bike.”

Many of the club teams have chosen to carpool to the new complex. Phillip Stice, co-captain of UGA men’s soccer club team, said the location has not been a problem for his team because they carpool.

However, the new location may hurt recruiting for club sports teams because it will reduce the number of spectators, according to Kate Daniels, the captain of the women’s rugby team.

“We've gotten plenty of players that saw us playing, thought it looked like fun and joined in,” Daniels said.

Still for some the quality of the fields is more important than the location.

“I’d rather have better facilities that are a little bit farther away,” Dempsey said.

Stice said the intramural fields were nothing more than a “dirt patch” that had been ruined by fans tailgating. He, Dempsey, and Kloblock were all excited that the fields at the new complex have grass.

Students were also glad that the university used green features at the complex.

“Composting waste underneath the restrooms is a wonderful way to reduce waste and do something positive for the environment,” Knoblock said. “I support their efforts in this 100%. One thing that is still needed out there though--recycling bins.”

Hear what Phillip Stice had to say.

Bus service lacking due to late request

            Students will not be able to ride a UGA bus to the new $2.5 million club sports complex until next fall, the manager of campus transit said.

            The complex on South Milledge Avenue opened on March 23. However, campus transit officials did not receive a request that a bus service to the complex be considered until March 6, said Ron Hamlin, the manager of the University of Georgia Campus Transit System.

“We have been approached with a request to provide service to the fields and are currently in the planning stages of that service, which I expect will start with the resumption of classes for the fall semester,” Hamlin said.

The lack of bus service creates a major problem for members of the nine club sports teams that will use the complex, and for their fans, said Emmie Harbin, who will coordinate activities at the complex.

 “It could prove to be a challenge, but with the cooperation of UGA transit services and our anticipation of the students’ needs hopefully we will be able to troubleshoot the problem,” Harbin said.

Students can drive to the complex while the university makes plans for other transportation, Harbin said.

Nine club sports teams will relocate to the complex at 2435 S. Milledge Ave., helping to alleviate congestion at the intramural fields on College Station Road. The bus stop nearest to the new complex is 1.4 miles away at the Family and Graduate Housing on East Campus Road.

It was a major concern for the department of recreational sports that the complex was “a little further from the epicenter of campus” because the distance from campus might make it difficult for some students to get to the complex, Harbin said. However, the location for the complex was based on available space and a tremendous potential for expansion.

The construction of the facility was funded through an allocation from the President’s Office, said Mitchell Gartenberg, the director of student affairs in the department of recreational sports. The department of recreational sports and the physical plant will share the costs of maintaining the complex.