By Amanda Freeman
Soon after spotting the playground on campus, Angel registered for classes and headed to the child-development center to enroll her daughter in daycare. Unfortunately, the waiting list was six to 12 months long, which is typical at campus childcare centers nationwide, according to Barbara Gault, the vice president and executive director of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). Using data from the National Coalition of Campus Children’s Centers , Gault estimates that campus childcare meets only about five percent of existing need.
What’s more, a recent IWPR report, “Child Care for Parents in College: A State-by-State Assessment,” shows that availability of campus childcare actually declined over the last decade at community and public four-year colleges in 36 states. The IWPR also found that 95 percent of childcare centers at two- and four-year colleges maintained an average waiting list of 82 children.
