Office of the Assemblies

Dear Matthew,

Thank you for submitting U.A. Resolution #3, “Examining the Need to Augment the Cornell Childcare Facility,” for my review and response. I appreciate the University Assembly’s advocacy for Cornell’s students, faculty, and staff with children.

Childcare is indeed a critical issue for our community. The Division of Human Resources, specifically the Work/Life office, is responsible for assessing community needs and implementing care options and resources.

The Cornell Child Care Center (CCCC), managed by Bright Horizons, opened in August 2008 and currently serves 183 children from 151 families. The center is the largest in the Ithaca area. The guidelines for eligibility, enrollment, and waitlist are posted publicly. The CCCC conducts an annual parent satisfaction survey, which was completed by 80 families in 2018; of those responding, 95.8% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “All in all, I am satisfied with the care my child is receiving.” In addition, we continually collect data on our students’ and employees’ childcare needs. Accordingly, I do not believe a campus-wide survey is necessary at this time.

Among our data collection and monitoring efforts are continual reviews of the waitlist and enrollment. The waitlist averages 130 children, from unborn to age 5. The CCCC itself does not publicly share waitlist placement information/data as it can be misleading or misunderstood by families. Instead, families are given anticipated waiting times, when known (e.g., 0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.). For more information about our data collection efforts and results of our parent satisfaction surveys, I encourage you to contact Michelle Artibee, associate director of Work/Life in Human Resources.

Finally, with respect to the resolution’s clause that the administration investigate expansion of the CCCC, new construction (at the center or elsewhere on campus) unfortunately is not economically feasible at this time. The fees parents pay do not offset the entire cost of operating the CCCC. Cornell heavily subsidizes the CCCC, both through the care provided and the facility, and we must carefully balance compensating our skilled teachers with keeping annual fee increases as minimal as possible. Without the university's subsidy, the fees would be significantly higher.

Given this, it is important that we consider a variety of solutions to address the existing waitlist and other childcare needs. In July 2018, Human Resources invested in and launched a new benefit for employees and graduate students. Care@Work by Care.com is a directory service, giving Cornellians free premium access to a large database of nannies, babysitters, house sitters, pet sitters, and more. Human Resources will routinely evaluate the experience of our users and the effectiveness of the platform.

Human Resources also has a consultant on staff who guides Cornell faculty, staff, and students on issues related to pregnancy, parenting, childcare, and adult/elder care. The work/life consultant provides assistance to those seeking care, helping them explore options and tap into both formal and informal networks. Finally, Vice President Mary Opperman and her team are currently working closely with theChild Development Council of Tompkins County to explore new strategies for increasing the number of childcare spots in the area. Cornell Budget and Planning and Facilities and Campus Services are already involved in our assessment and next steps.

Sincerely,

Martha Pollack

Martha E. Pollack

President, Cornell University

300 Day Hall

Ithaca, NY 14853

(607) 255-5201

www.cornell.edu