Childcare services are available for parents who are students attending any SLCC campus.
The Department of Education offers a program called CCAMPIS also known as Child Care Access Means Parents in School. The purpose of CCAMPIS is to offer quality child care to students at a reduced rate. According to the Christian Science Monitor, 25 percent of college students have children. After realizing the need for childcare, SLCC opened another childcare center at the South City campus and has continued working with CCAMPIS. The South City Child Care Center opened in January 2010 after two years of developing the funding and meeting with the architect for the construction.
In order to be eligible for CCAMPIS students must be of low income and eligible for a Federal Pell Grant to receive a discounted rate. The eligibility is also based on the students’ credit hours, financial aid, and how many kids they have. The normal cost of childcare at the campus is $700 per semester per child. Through the Pell Grant, students may apply for vouchers per semester. Depending on the qualification of the student, the student pays the difference in the amount, if any.
“The school has a lot of resources to help students improve their lives and go to school. We want to help them, school wants students to be successful they just need to ask,” Shalome Orton said. Orton is the manager of Childcare and Family Services at the South City campus. Orton has a six member staff and works under the Dean of Students as well as the Vice President of Student Services.
“My favorite part of the job is making sure kids get the opportunity they wouldn’t normally get like watching the kids play with science and develop as they go. My favorite part of the day is playing and interacting with the children,” said Orton.
The childcare center at the Taylorsville Redwood campus is called the Eccles Early Childhood Development Laboratory Preschool. Students working towards their child care certification work at the child care center as part of their training. The South City campus is a strict service to parents attending class at SLCC. The caretakers at the South City campus must go through the college employment portal. All caretakers at both locations are CPR certified, have their food handler’s permit, and have undergone extensive training to provide a high quality experienced staff.
The childcare centers at both locations offer a play-based curriculum and Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) suitable for different age development stages. The program also includes naptime, an outside playground and catered meals according to the Federal Food guidelines.
Children can attend either childcare center as long as the SLCC student is enrolled at SLCC. To be enrolled in the child care center, children must be at least 24 months of age and cannot attend after pre-kinder. The average age at the child care center now is two years of age and most children at the child care center come from a single parent home.
Students wanting more information about the program or application process may contact Shalome Orton by phone (801) 957-3070 or by email at shalome.orton@slcc.edu.