Jan. 12, 2015 – University of Utah students now have access to part-time, on-campus infant care. A new infant care room in the ASUU Child Care Center opened today.

“Student parents generally need part-time care but have only full-time care options,” said Shauna Lower, director of the U’s Center for Child Care and Family Resources. “The new infant care room is the only program on campus and in the Salt Lake metropolitan area that provides part-time care for infants.”

Since the center opened in 2001, its services have expanded from caring for children 3-5 years old to 6 weeks to 6 years. The center will hold an open house Jan. 15, 4-6 p.m., allowing visitors to tour the new infant room as well as the other child care spaces.

Before the addition of this new room, there were only 28 infant child care slots available on campus through a variety of child care programs, and all of these provided full-time care only.

“Based on feedback from students, ASUU began pursuing a subsidized, part-time infant care option for students,” said Tom Hurtado, ASUU communications advisor. “With support from the Dean of Students Office and the Center for Child Care and Family Resources, we are pleased to offer this unique and necessary service to our students.”

The center is located in the basement of the Alfred Emery Building on Presidents Circle and is open Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m.-9 p.m. In addition to enrolled families, the center provides drop-in child care for students, faculty and staff Monday through Thursday, 5-9 p.m.

The center, which was created by students, employs five full-time staff members and 28 part-time staff, many of whom are students in the U’s Early Childhood Education program.

The rates are determined on a sliding scale based on the parent’s income. The U’s Center for Child Care and Family Resources is available to help students, faculty and staff find child care options that work best for them.