UC Santa Cruz is happy to announce that openings are available for toddlers to preschool-aged children at two area facilities through the new Childcare Placement Waitlist Program. Over the past months, UCSC has built relationships with local daycare providers to hold spots specifically for employees when they become available.
“We are partnering with local child care facilities to make the process of moving up a waitlist and early placement more feasible for our faculty and staff,” said Childcare Program Coordinator Georgia Gilbert.
The university provides partner child-care providers a $500 non-refundable deposit to hold an upcoming opening for an infant, toddler, or preschooler for up to 30 days. The payment, covered by the university, is not part of the enrollment fee.
Openings are available now at:
- L’Academy Preschool in Santa Cruz. It uses a Spanish immersion curriculum, growing children’s potential through Spanish dialogue, play, and music. They also accept subsidized child care programs.
- Secret Garden has opened a new location in Rio del Mar and has openings for 2-5 year olds. It is a play-based preschool focused on preparing children for kindergarten socially and emotionally.
UC Santa Cruz is looking to create partnerships with up to 15 facilities. Outreach continues to infant care facilities to meet the needs of most UCSC families looking for childcare. The increasing cost of care is an on-going challenge for members of the UCSC community.
“Our research is finding that the median cost for part time care is about $1,300 to $1600 per month and the median full time cost is anywhere from $2,000 to $2,500 a month,” Gilbert explained.
To get into the Childcare Placement Waitlist Program, employees fill out a simple request form. Spot allocation is on a first-come, first-served basis. Employees are encouraged to join the priority waitlist as they anticipate a need, even if it is not immediate, as wait time for openings can vary and age requirements can differ.
When an opening becomes available matching the specifications of an employee’s childcare needs, the childcare program coordinator will contact the employee at the top of the list. Since the spots are held specifically for UCSC employees, if an applicant decides to turn down an opening, they are asked to notify the coordinator so the space may be offered to the next employee matching the slot specifications. The reserved openings are exclusively for UCSC employees who are legal guardians of dependent children.
