Ashley Monroe, a senior at Cal State Long Beach, has been on the waitlist for childcare at the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center since she was eight months pregnant. Monroe’s daughter will be turning one at the end of January.
Affordable childcare is something that is difficult to find for parents who are also students. The Isabel Patterson Child Development Center offers students, faculty, alumni and community members an option for childcare. However, a hurdle is the long waitlist to actually get into the program.
“We have a waitlist that is almost a two-year wait,” said Gina Guffy, a teacher for the infant and toddler program. “We are at full capacity.”
Another problem for student-parents is getting the money to pay for childcare.
“To qualify for a grant I was looking into, I had to be a full-time student and have a full-time job,” Monroe said. “It’s impossible to do all of that plus spend time with your family.”
Monroe’s mother watches her baby most days, free of charge, but on days she can’t, her boyfriend’s mother watches her daughter. Monroe said that her boyfriend’s mother charges the couple $20 a day.
The Isabel Patterson Child Development Center charges $170 per week for infants and toddlers, $123 per week for preschool-aged children and $22 per day for children in kindergarten to second grade.
“I don’t know how people do it,” Monroe said. “That is a lot of money to spend when you are buying diapers, food and books.”
“The Isabel Patterson Child Development Center is under construction right now because the main dome building is being refurbished. The dome houses the school-aged program and those children are at Prisk Elementary School until the construction is complete,” Guffy said.
Some student-parents continue college through pregnancy and after the birth of their children.
“I had to decide if I wanted to stop school and then go back once the baby was older,” Monroe said. “But I was afraid I would never be back.”
Student mothers that are dealing with the stress of becoming a student-parent do have a place to go for support. The women’s resource center does offer the opportunity for mothers to form a support group, the center’s Web site said.
“We don’t have one right now, but if people come in here and want to start one we are more than happy to help,” a representative from the center said.
“With all of the ups and downs, a support group would be nice,” Monroe said
