Choosing child care for your little bundle of joy will get easier at UC Davis in the future.

The university will break ground this winter for a new on-campus child care center -- the Orchard Park Child Development Center. The campus anticipates a spring 2006 opening.

The facility will be built at the west end of campus on Orchard Park Circle. It will serve up to 95 children -- infants through kindergartners -- year round. Space also will be provided for 24 elementary school-age children for holiday and summer care.

The center would be the third on-campus child care facility at UC Davis. The university's two current centers handle up to 200 children.

"Each day faculty, staff and even students face the challenge of balancing their family and work responsibilities," said Rick Keller, assistant vice chancellor for capital resource management. "Day care centers like this one will expand choices on campus in which to meet those family needs."

The total project cost for the 9,200-gross-square-foot facility is $2.8 million. Of this, $1.8 million will come from UC Davis funds and $1 million from the Office of the President.

Barbara Ashby, campus child care and family services manager, said that the Orchard Park Center will also include a school-age classroom for a summer program. She indicated that the campus population has a strong interest in such child care facilities. "There is a huge demand for infant and toddler care," she said. "The LaRue and Russell child care centers have a year-long waiting list. They are the only accredited programs in Davis."

Though rates vary by program schedule, Ashby said, those centers charge $985 per month for infants, $820 for toddlers, and $707 for preschool children for full-time enrollment -- comparable to the other centers in Davis.

Ashby said finances are a significant issue for the child care industry as well as parents. "We are struggling to balance the cost of constructing and operating a center that meets national accreditation standards for quality care and education with the fees required to maintain such a program," she said. "The persistent issues facing child care professionals and families are quality, accessibility and affordability."

Ashby said that good child care depends on educated and experienced staff, age-appropriate environments and low ratios of caregivers to children -- all of which are costly.

The design

Plans call for the new center to be a single-story building with an energy efficient design, ample windows, kitchens, eating and sleeping areas, diapering and toilet facilities, and storage space. Five classrooms are planned for the infant through pre-school program. Another larger classroom would be included for the elementary school-age program. The facility will have about 10,000 square-feet of outdoor playing area.

Plans call for the university to construct the facility, while a private operator will provide about $500,000 in interior furnishings, parking lots, landscapes, play areas, fencing and all the necessary equipment to operate the center. There will be a bid process to select the operator, Ashby said.

The balancing act

Last year, the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Work-Life Balance for Ladder Rank Faculty conducted an informal survey of faculty, and found strong support for more on-campus child care opportunities.

Ashby noted that child care expenses for student families are supported in part through the UC Davis Child Care Subsidy Program -- in existence for 16 years.

"Employee families would be well served by a similar program," Ashby said.

She pointed out that the development of an employee subsidy program continues to be a primary objective for the Chancellor's Child Care Administrative Advisory Committee.

"Research indicates that employees with inadequate child care are more likely to be late for work, absent or distracted on the job than parents who are confident about their children's child care arrangements. Quality care correlates directly to fees and is often not affordable for campus employees."

UC Davis employees are eligible for the federal Dependent Care Assistance Program. Dep-Care contributions for child care are deducted from paychecks on a pretax or tax-free basis.

For details, visit http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/childcare or call (530) 752-5415.