Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Protect pristine headwaters from nickel mining ... Bumper crop ... Growers and Crafters Market searching for new homes ... Our View: Protect pristine headwaters from nickel mining ... Bumper crop ... Growers and Crafters Market searching for new homes ... ASHLAND Parents upset that Schneider Children's Center at SOU will close Parents upset SOU child care center couldn't be saved Comment By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Barring an 11th-hour plot twist, customers of the Schneider Children’s Center will have to find another place to care for their children beginning June 13. The Childcare Center in the school’s Old Mill Village student family housing complex off Quincy Street served Southern Oregon University students almost exclusively for the first 27 years of its existence before opening its doors to the general public in September in an effort to compete with local childcare providers. It will be closing for good a day before the school’s commencement celebration. Currently, the Children’s Center cares for 55 children from 48 families, according to SCC director Kathy Spain. The move, which comes a year after the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University voted to de-fund the Children’s Center, was finalized by SOU President Roy Saigo during a cabinet meeting Monday. The closing was recommended by Mark Denney, SOU’s associate vice president of budget and planning, who said that the president had no other choice. “The president’s decision was a final decision, but I spoke with him today and he said that if a viable plan was brought forward the university would hear it,” Denney said. “Most likely, it would require a large donation.” Saigo could not be reached for comment. Denney added that he has tentatively scheduled a town hall-type meeting for Tuesday in the Stevenson Union building, at which he plans to “take them through, step by step, the last 16 months and articulate in great detail all the options we’ve explored and why each one did not pan out.” The decision to close the Children’s Center was announced during an ASSOU senate meeting Tuesday night. About 35 SCC customers showed up, many with children in tow, and took turns asking the 11 student senators on hand to explain the move. Candy Boerwinkle, a 35-year-old mother of five, including two that currently spend several days a week at the Children’s Center, said that the decision was shocking and that the atmosphere during the meeting was “emotionally charged.” “This is something that’s very close to our hearts, and there’s no place like (the Children’s Center) in Ashland,” said Boerwinkle. “It’s an exceptional, outstanding program, but we haven’t given up. We’re writing to our representatives, we’re petitioning the ASSOU, and at the meeting a few of the (student senators) stood up and said that we didn’t know this was going on and we’re going to advocate for you.” Boerwinkle said she tried to contact Saigo but was only able to do so by email until Friday morning, when she caught Saigo and provost Susan Walsh as they were walking into a building on campus. In an email to the Tidings, Boerwinkle described Saigo as “sympathetic to the parents and the struggles of childcare. He related to me his own experience when his children were young in difficulties with finding care. He even hugged me!” Categorized as an auxiliary program, the Children’s Center had been funded by student fees until the ASSOU voted last year to stop that funding beginning in the 2014-15 academic year and instead offer students in need of childcare a $400-per-month subsidy. The hope was that the Children’s Center would become self-sufficient and cover its expenses by increasing its client base, but when that didn’t happen Denney said it was time to close it down and give its staff and customers time to adjust. Denney added that the Children’s Center is “an incredible place”, but that its exceptional offerings — it employs 10 full-time staff members, was awarded a Farm to Preschool Grant and provides free meals — came at a cost. The budget deficit, he estimated, was between $150,000 and $170,000 annually. The school hosted a series of meetings last spring to brainstorm solutions, but cost-cutting measures that included downsizing the staff were rejected, Denney said. “The few that did attend felt that to make the center the most cost effective would have taken away from what SCC is,” he said. “They said ‘No, we want to keep that.’ And we said, ‘OK, rates are going to have to increase significantly to try to cover that.’” The SCC’s rates range from $270 a month for preschool care two days a week to $1,440 a month for an infant or toddler who requires all-day, five-days-a-week care. “It just seems like they were setting us up to fail, and then said, ‘See, it failed,’” Boerwinkle said. Tara Roberts, a 33-year-old single mother of two, said she’s devastated that the Children’s Center will no longer be an option. “As a single mother, there’s a lot missing in my kids’ lives,” she said, “and I feel like the Schneider Children’s Center has made up for so much with stability, good quality food and love. They have a great staff.” Now, she’s not sure what she’s going to do. There are a few day care possibilities for her 3-year-old, but finding care for her 1-year-old is more complicated, and the SOU subsidy is only good at providers which have been licensed by the state, further limiting her options. “I feel it’s an accessibility issue,” Roberts said. “Childcare, transportation and housing — those are the barriers you face to getting an education when you’re in this situation.” Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Posted Apr. 27, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501