Lacey Maxwell, lead teacher at ISU Child Care Center at Veterinary Medicine, joins 3-year-old children for a painting activity. Photos by Christopher Gannon.
When Amamchukwu Ilogebe was considering where to pursue his Ph.D. back in 2020, finding the right fit was important -- not only for himself, but for his young family.
Ilogebe and his wife, Ujunwa, along with their three young sons -- all under age five -- were living in North Carolina at the time. The couple knew that finding access to affordable, reliable and high-quality child care would play a key role in deciding their next move.
"I had offers from a number of strong schools in my field, including Iowa State," said Ilogebe, who is now a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering at ISU. "I felt great about the Ph.D. program here, but Iowa State's child care services really helped my wife and I make the final decision to come to Ames. ISU stood out and made us feel supported."
Iowa State has three campus child care centers, all of which are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and participate in Iowa Quality 4 Kids, Iowa's voluntary quality rating and improvement program. ISU community members are granted priority enrollment at each of the centers.
Maintaining high-quality centers is a priority for university human resources (UHR), which contracts with vendors to offer child care services at two of the campus facilities. And with an investment made through the university's 2022-31 strategic plan, both facilities have benefitted from a series of upgrades and improvements.
The first, University Community Childcare (UCC), opened in 1971 north of campus along Stange Road and is operated as a non-profit agency. The second, ISU Child Care Center at Veterinary Medicine (Vet Med), opened in 1997 and is operated by the Bright Horizons corporation.
ISU's third facility, the Child Development Laboratory School in the Palmer Building on central campus, is part of the College of Health and Human Sciences and as such, is not under the purview of UHR.
Planning for the future
When the Iowa Board of Regents approved Iowa State's 2022-31 strategic plan in June 2022, President Wendy Wintersteen announced an initial $10.5 million investment in nine projects that addressed one or more of the plan's five aspirational statements. It included $600,000 for renovations at two campus child care facilities, UCC and Vet Med, to serve ISU families with young children.
These initial funds -- plus $442,000 in other university funds -- were used to make playground improvements, install building security upgrades and replace HVAC systems at both centers.
Additionally, $540,800 in strategic plan funding awarded for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 was used to make lighting upgrades and classroom improvements at the two locations.
Now, just shy of three years later, the renovations are nearly complete and offer improved learning, safety and comfort for the children of ISU faculty, staff and students.
"We are so appreciative of the wonderful improvements we've been able to make at the ISU Child Care Center at Veterinary Medicine and University Community Childcare," said Cris Broshar, who serves as ISU's child care and family services coordinator and director of the university's Child Care Access Means Parents in School program.
Broshar manages UHR's contracts with the two child care centers and was responsible for overseeing the recent renovations.
"Our goal is to serve as a model of high-quality child care while providing crucial support for parents who are working and learning throughout the Iowa State community," Broshar said. "These improvements help make that possible."
The renovations include:
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Playground improvements: The UCC playground now features refinished cedar support columns, new sod installed after regrading was done to address draining issues, new fence gates, new mulch under play structures, new concrete pads replacing previously cracked sections, and the addition of a rubber fall-zone surface in the infant play area.
At the Vet Med center's playground, crews replaced a rotted raised wooden walkway and cracked and/or sunken concrete pads, added a dry rock creek bed and installed new fence gates. A new play structure and new mulch under all play structures were added, as was new sod after regrading was completed to address drainage issues. - Building security upgrades: Both centers received new card readers to all exterior doors to monitor access and improve security.
- HVAC system replacement: Both centers received new heating and cooling units, with the latter also adding an energy recovery ventilator to improve air quality.
- Lighting upgrades: The Vet Med center has new light fixtures throughout the entire building.
- Classroom improvements: At both centers, commercial resilient sheet vinyl flooring replaced vinyl composite tiles and solid surface countertops replaced laminate countertops. In four UCC classrooms the base cabinets were replaced. At the Vet Med center, 17 windows and two damaged exterior doors were replaced.
'A true learning environment'
Together, the UCC and Vet Med locations enroll about 150 children. Each center serves children aged six weeks through preschool, with UCC also providing services for school-age children (kindergarten through fifth grade) before and after school.
The centers are committed to offering services at an accessible cost, Broshar said, and financial support is available for income-eligible Iowa State student-families.
All three of the Ilogebes' sons attend -- and absolutely love, their father adds -- ISU's child care centers.
"I can't say enough good things about the ISU child care centers," Ilogebe said. "It's more than just child care; it's a true learning environment. The teachers are very professional and prepared for everything, and communication with parents is excellent. As an ISU student who is raising children, I am very grateful for this resource."
Samantha Secor, clinical experience coordinator for the School of Education, also recommends ISU child care services to all faculty and staff members. Both of her young children attend an ISU center.
"My husband and I moved to Ames about a year before our son was born, and like many families, we found ourselves looking for dependable child care we could trust," Secor said.
"The ISU affiliation was reassuring to us, and we quickly saw the depth of expertise the ISU child care center staff bring to their work. They create a loving, caring environment that encourages learning."
Secor said the recent renovations reflect the centers' commitment to excellence, as well as the university's commitment to providing child care services.
The demand for care is high
The Vet Med and UCC centers currently have a combined waiting list of about 350 children, which Broshar said is not unusual.
"While our centers want to serve as many families as possible, it's also important that we keep enrollment numbers at a level that allows each center to maintain the highest standard of quality care," Broshar said. "Lower teacher-to-child ratios means more meaningful and individualized interactions."
Broshar encourages families to begin exploring child care options early.
"I always recommend families begin considering their child care options and joining waitlists at our campus centers far in advance of when they need care to begin, especially if they have a child under two years of age," Broshar said. "Parents can also contact my office, and we would be happy to help you start planning for your child care needs.
"The Iowa State community is a family, and we are honored to be part of yours."
Angela Adams, director of the ISU Child Care Center at Veterinary Medicine, joins a group of children looking out one of the new windows recently installed at the center.
