Students and faculty members in search of child care need not look any further than the NIU campus.

With a community comprised of NIU students who are also parents in need of a childcare center, the Shirley W. Nelson Campus Child Care Center is an option available for non-traditional students.

The Center offers care and education to children aged two months to five years, and school-age children (five to eight years) during the summer.

Part-time and full-time child care is offered to NIU students, faculty and staff members; however, few slots are available in the preschool for the DeKalb community.

“Community families may only enroll in the preschool classroom if space is available,” said Chris Herrmann, director of the Child Care Center. “Priority is given to student families, then faculty and staff.”

The center, which is accredited through the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, currently has a staff of about 20 full-time professionals with degrees in education, child development and other related fields.

The center is currently working at full capacity with 130 children enrolled.

When at full capacity, the center creates a waiting list at the beginning of the semester in case a parent removes their child from the program.

“There’s still a chance for parents to enroll their children at the beginning of every semester because the children all must be re-enrolled, so some parents in the previous semester might drop out,” Herrmann said.

Although some residents from Northern View have expressed concern about the lack of a child care center at the Northern View Community, there is only one child from Northern View enrolled.

“We haven’t been approached by Northern View parents actually,” Sherie Newman, a full-time staff member at the center. “I think people know about us because we’re very public and we go to the open house before the semesters.”

According to Herrmann, the center is difficult to manage financially.

“It’s difficult to manage at the moment because we can’t charge parents the full price of what this care costs and we can’t operate without state subsidies,” she said.

However, Newman is confident and assured of the center’s service.

“[The Child Care Center] is the best quality child care program around and the staff is very caring and knowledgeable about child development.”

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