In the basement of the Alfred Emery Building, in rooms that once housed sinks, stoves and refrigerators for a home economics lab, some changes have taken place.
A multicolored floor meets angled walls and misshapen windows in a room ripped from the pages of a Dr. Seuss story. Clearly, this was a set of rooms created for either the cat in the hat and friends or a group of children whose parents have found a child-care solution.
Two grinning boys ran through the rooms with energy only preschoolers can generate after the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday for the Associated Students of the University of Utah Child Care Center.
?This is the biggest moment for ASUU in a long time,? said Mike Nelson, ASUU vice president and co-chairman of the Child Care Committee.
In 1989, the ASUU?s General Assembly appropriated $20,000 for startup costs for a child-care center. The next year, ASUU established a permanent fund of $25,000 annually to be spent on child-care programs including Parent?s Night Out and finals week child care.
Three years ago, ASUU decided those programs were not enough to meet the needs of students with children.
That year the ASUU administration found the space in the Emery Building, which, according to Nelson, was a difficult task. Last year, ASUU acquired startup funding and worked on the architectural design. This year?s administration secured funding?a mixture of private sources and student fees. They also hired the director and helped establish operational policies for the center.
The Child Care Coordinating Office estimates between 3,500 to 4,000 families, including students, staff and faculty, need either full or part-time child care. The six programs on or near campus offer only 605 slots. The new center will serve almost 80 additional families. Students will receive priority registration.
Cassie Jackson plans to use the facility to care for her son while she is in class.
?It gives me the flexibility I need. It?s convenient, it?s close by,? she said. ?This really solves a problem for me.?
The new center will also solve a problem for her son Justin, she said.
?It was always really hard for him to stay at home when I go to school,? she said. ?It?s a big deal for him.?
The new center will also give interested students a chance to work with children. It will open for business Thursday.