Campus Connection

'Week of the Young Child' spotlights childcare challenges Children at UW-L's Campus Child Center will share music and art as part of the Week of the Young Child. The center's Annual Spring Music Show will run twice — from 11-11:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, April 13- 14, in the lobby of the Recreational Eagle Center. The center's Annual Spring Art Show will be displayed in the REC lobby April 11-14. Sue Wrobel, director of the center, says it's important to participate in the Week of the Young Child because childhood programs are essential. "We know that young children grow and learn and develop at a very rapid rate during their preschool years," she explains. "This week highlights the wonderful world of childhood. It's a great time to simply focus on and treasure children. It's a reminder to all as to what childhood can and should be." Wrobel says a major challenge for many early childhood programs is the lack of quality staff, due mainly to low pay. "The truth is that quality care comes at a cost and very often, the expense is not within a families' budget," she says. "When costs are kept low so that families can afford care, it is the early childhood workforce who is actually subsidizing the programs. Pay for the early childhood workforce is meager." The university's Campus Child Center is funded through student fees and by those who use its services. Because the center receives additional support from students and staff, Wrobel says her staff is compensated better than many in the general community. "This shows in our quality and lack of staff turnover," Wrobel says. The Campus Child Center has six full-time and 46 part-time teaching staff to serve 82 children. The center is state-licensed and accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The center has a five-star rating through YoungStar, the state's new quality rating and improvement system for early childhood programs.