The Wake

The room is crammed with a rainbow of blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, purples and every color in-between, complete with an “underwater world” corner and two-foot-high tables. It’s so different from the “grown-up” world, which usually does its best to elbow out color and shroud everyone in somber expressions and black power suits.

“What’s your name?” 3-year-old Xaviera asked me moments after my arrival. After she lost interest in a new person, she ran away to play racecar with the other children. They are a mosaic, like the colorful room, each a unique piece with a unique background that forms a more dynamic whole.

This is the Como Community Child Care Center. It’s one of the two child-care centers designed to aid student parents and mandated by the University of Minnesota. Como Child Care recently faced a threat of a funding cut by the Student Fees Committee this spring. These two institutions offer an alternative to the University of Minnesota Child Care Center, which has a year and a half to two-year waiting list.

Como Child Care is located in the same complex as the Como Student Community Cooperative on 27th Avenue and offers sliding fees for students and flexible daycare hours. Eli Stoykova, a graduate student in electrical engineering, has been bringing her daughter, Kathy, to Como since August of 2002. She likes Como because it’s close to her apartment in the complex. Without Como’s funding, she said she might not be able to find another daycare because of long waiting lists.

“I think the suggestion that they shouldn’t support student parents is offensive and discriminating,” said Katie Johnson, executive director of Como Community Child Care Center. She said she believes the childcare centers should be funded for student parents, just as any other minority group is represented on campus. Parents need a place to bring their children for day care, Johnson said, or many students might not be able to attend the University.

Como Child Care managed not only to retain student fees for the 2004-2005 school year, but managed to gain an increase to complete security measures thanks to parents and care providers who spoke out at the public hearings, said Johnson.

Como intends to use the funding increase to complete security features at the facility. A privacy wall will shield public view and the doors will be fitted with new locks, Johnson said. Como will receive a $15,000 increase next year from the fees committee. Como currently cares for about 30 children and employs 13 caregivers, but many caregivers are students and work part-time.

“The first time I had to change a diaper was a little bit of an eye-opener,” Jason Busta said between the cries of “Teacher! Teacher!” every time one of the children wanted his attention. Busta is a University senior majoring in marketing, although he considered a major in elementary education. Busta works about three to four hours a day at Como as an assistant teacher.

The children line up by the blue metal door covered with magnetic colored plastic letters arranged in no particular order. Busta leads the children to the playground outside the door and watches them as they run with seemingly endless energy. Assistant teachers maintain a 7:1 ratio of children to adults for supervision.

“I huwrt my finger,” one boy said while running to Busta from the bottom of the slide on the playground. Once Busta assured the boy he was okay, the boy ran away to play “Green-Eyed Monster” with the other children who remained at the end of the day, waiting for their parents to pick them up.

“She’s gone through so many daycares in the past two years,” said Melissa Kuperus of her daughter, Xaviera. “I’m certainly glad they decided to get them funding.” Kuperus is a senior majoring in child psychology, and said Xaviera likes attending Como daycare and was relieved to hear that the fees committee gave them an increase in funding because she wouldn’t want Como to close; Xaviera would have to find a new daycare, make new friends and get used to new teachers.

“It’s very rewarding,” said Christy Vang, an assistant teacher with a degree in Child Psychology. Vang has worked at Como for about seven months. She works about five hours a day and says she likes the variety of working with toddlers at Como.

The children can stay with their teachers and friends, thanks to the approval of the fees committee. Como Community Child Care Center can continue to bring the bright rainbows of colors to children and help parents attend classes at the University to paint an even brighter future.

For more information about Como Community Child Care Center, call (612) 331-8340.