Last Updated: November 4, 2025
Since Universities of Wisconsin Campus Early Education and Care Centers (Campus Centers) exist to support the university mission of teaching, research and outreach, and to provide services for families and children, it is necessary to identify each constituency’s needs. These needs, supplemented and ranked according to each university mission and circumstances, should be used, for example, in assessing university needs and in surveying community availability.
1. The Center Staff Needs
It should also be noted that as service delivery systems are developed, consideration shall be given to the work life balance and professional development needs of the staff who work in the Campus Centers which may, at times, conflict with the needs of the populations served. In all instances, every effort to fulfill the needs of each constituent group shall be considered.
Campus Center staff, as members of the early childhood education (ECE) workforce are eligible to utilize the REWARD stipend program, TEACH scholarships, and any other initiatives and funding opportunities available to the ECE workforce in Wisconsin.
To attract and retain exceptional talent, it is essential to consider offering childcare discounts and enrollment priority for the Campus Center teachers. This practice significantly enhances our competitiveness both within our community and in the broader job market. Each UW campus may implement a childcare tuition discount policy for staff working within the Campus Center(s) to support both recruitment and retention efforts. Additionally, each campus should establish financial support mechanisms to cover the cost of tuition loss resulting from this policy.
2. Student Needs
Essential student-parent and nonparent student needs for Campus Centers include, but are not limited to, the following: [1]
- availability (enough “slots” to meet demand categorized by age of child population);
- considerations of affordability;
- on-campus site (or near-campus site), to facilitate the academic achievement of the student-parent and to ensure the welfare of the child(ren);
- flexible hours (to match class schedules and other obligations, hours are needed such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings only or Tuesday and Thursday afternoons only);
- drop-in hours if possible (to allow students to study for examinations, meet unexpected test schedules, etc.), based on the level of support from student segregated fees;
- fees based on hours scheduled and/or contracted with the Campus Center;
- Services that are consistent with the national research on the provision of high-quality early education and care;
- appropriate sites for fulfilling academic requirements; and
- resource and referral information for families, including knowledge of services for those children and families with special needs.
When it is possible, additional services including those that follow are seen as supports to overcome barriers to graduation for some parenting students and may be provided based on space and funding availability:
- infant care;
- flexible part-time drop in care;
- study care at finals time;
- full-time care for working students;
- evening care for part-time students with evening classes;
- weekend care.
3. Faculty and Staff Needs
Recent actions taken by the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration and the Department of Employment Relations give public recognition and funding for childcare as an employee support service that meets a recognized need, maintains competitive status, increases employee’s productivity, and also recruitment and retention. The Universities of Wisconsin acknowledges the importance of recruitment and retention and is committed to fostering a campus climate and implementing policies that support a family-friendly environment.
In the same vein, Universities of Wisconsin would like to provide for faculty and staff childcare needs. Faculty and staff members who use Campus Center facilities have the following needs:
- availability (enough “slots” to meet demand, serving ages of children where care is needed);
- on-campus site, to facilitate the productivity of the faculty/staff member and to ensure the welfare of the child;
- full-time, part-year contracts for faculty;
- the Campus Center resources and referral information for families, including knowledge of services for those children and families with special needs;
- additional needs comparable to student needs for infant care, etc.;
- services that align with the latest national research and best practices in providing high quality early education and care.
4. University Needs
University administrators realize that Campus Centers also fulfill a variety of broad university needs. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, the following:
- available childcare for use in recruiting and retaining faculty and staff;
- available childcare for use in recruiting and retaining well-qualified undergraduate and graduate students;
- part-time instructional academic staff, LTEs, and student employees who meet state and accreditation educational/training requirements can be employed as primary, permanent classroom staff to help address teach shortage challenges;
- source of some types of public relation functions;
- appropriate sites for use in students meeting academic requirements;
- instruction, research, and public service necessary to fulfill the university’s obligation to society regarding care of Wisconsin’s children.
The Campus Centers are designated as “essential services” for the purposes of pandemic or other emergency planning by each campus. As such, they should develop policies and emergency preparedness procedures to ensure, to the best of their ability, the provision of care for the children of employees who are deemed essential for campus operations. Additionally, compensation for early educators should reflect their status as essential employees, including considerations for additional pay and/or bonuses.
[1] Please note that all services may not be possible to provide based on the business model and resources for financial support to the Campus Center. Minimally, students should have access to full and part time care for children ages six (6) weeks to five (5) years.