On the Job with the Children’s Center

On the Job with the Children’s Center
The Bulletin spoke with Denise Wessels, director of the Children’s Center:

What do people think you do?
Most people understand that the Children’s Center provides child care for university families, but not everyone understands that we are financially supported by student fees, so students always have priority for enrollment here.  Faculty and staff can enroll here based on availability of space. 

What do you really do?
We run a children’s center, of course, providing child care for about 200 university families during a full semester. We are an unofficial lab school for child development programs, so people who are majoring in Child Development often do their internships here, and we often hire some of those students who begin as volunteers. Other students also do their internships or projects here. A Communication Studies class produced a professional quality orientation video for us in conjunction with Channel 10, a French class read children’s books they had written in French to the children, and dance and music students work with the children also.  

Describe your office.
It’s pretty busy. I have two windows and a door that open up into the Children’s Center, so when children are out in the main room, I have regular visitors throughout the day. How great is that – to have an office where children can come and go and visit you and brighten your day? 

What surprises people?
Some people are surprised that the Children’s Center is owned and operated by ASI (Associated Students, Inc.), and that we employ 80-90 students per semester.  We are one of the largest on-campus employers of students – not only Child Development majors, but all other kinds of majors as well who just enjoy working with children. 

What is your biggest challenge?
Our biggest challenge is meeting all the needs of all of our constituents—our students, their children, our staff, our faculty, our own employees—and doing a really good job. We’re a nationally accredited program in the top seven percent of children’s centers in the country, so we hold ourselves to very high standards. 

What do you get asked the most?
A very common question is “Why can’t I keep my child here after I graduate?”  Our families are very treasured here and it’s sad when they have to leave campus. It’s a good thing they are graduating, as that is the goal of attending university, but they enjoy it here and we enjoy having them.  When they graduate they have to find other care for their children because we’re designed to serve student families.  It’s a bittersweet goodbye when parents graduate.