By Annalisa Purser, communications specialist, University Marketing and Communications

Earlier this year, the University of Utah Center for Child Care and Family Resources assumed ownership of the former KinderCare located on Guardsman Way. With the addition of this facility, the center doubled its administrative oversight capacity. This growth prompted new names for some of the child care centers on campus, and a new shared service model was implemented.

The centralized model will apply to three child care facilities on campus: ASUU Student Child Care will now be called UKids – Presidents Circle; Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) will now be known as UKids – East Village; and KinderCare will now be UKids – Guardsman Way. All three facilities will continue to offer the same services they did previously.

• UKids – Presidents Circle provides access to high-quality, affordable child care and prioritizes care for student families. The facility works with children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, part-time hourly
• UKids – East Village serves children 6 weeks through 5 years with two, three and five full-day options. Priority enrollment is given to those who live in University Student Apartments.
• UKids – Guardsman Way caters primarily to the employees of the U, but also offers care to other community members when space is available. It offers full time care for children ages 6 weeks through 6 years. A private kindergarten is also available.

The shared service model will not only make operations more efficient, but will also be more convenient for parents. Now, all three centers will participate in the same enrollment process, so parents can put their children on just one waitlist.

In addition to these three centers, which now operate in a more unified way, the U also provides full-day child care through two other locations: BioKids, which serves children ages 6 weeks through 5 years and gives priority to employees who work in the U Biology Department, and the Child and Family Development Center, which serves 3 months through 6 years. It has a Montessori preschool that provides hands-on training to U students in the Family and Consumer Studies Department and provides research opportunities for faculty interested in studying young children and families. The U also has one fine-arts preschool program, one Head Start and one summer camp.