There is one group of students on campus that is literally more immature than your average Binghamton University student. This small group requires constant attention and supervision, still lives at home and instead of reading newspapers and watching CNN, spends most of their free time watching Nickelodeon. No, this is not your group of friends. It is the student body of BU’s Campus Pre-School and Early Childhood Center.
The center, which has 121 students enrolled, provides services to the University’s students and faculty.
‘Students have priority, then faculty,’ Peg Smith, the executive director of the center, said describing the order in which student slots are filled. ‘If there are open spots after that, then they can be filled by the community.’
The center is one of only 285 programs in the country that have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The NAEYC has thousands of applicants at various stages in the accreditation process, putting the center in a small minority of accredited daycare centers.
The center attracts a wide range of students.
‘We have eight classrooms,’ Smith said. ‘The youngest class is 18 months, and we go up to kindergarten.’
Many BU students often lend a hand at the center, some seeking work experience and others seeking to fulfill charity requirements.
‘We have a lot of interns and volunteers coming down here to help,’ Smith said. ‘Fraternities and sororities also come down for community service and to assist with special events.’
The center was founded in 1970 as a loosely-organized playgroup which met two mornings a week in a dormitory lounge to provide care for children of SUNY students. It holds special activity days for the students throughout the year.
‘We have a spring carnival, an international dinner where every family makes something, a harvest lunch where every class makes something different,’ said Peggy Carney, the assistant director for the center. ‘We usually try to have a Binghamton student come in and perform.’
The students also utilize the campus, often going on walks in the Nature Preserve, visiting the campus’s greenhouse and attending theater events.
‘We have a summer program where the children swim at the East Gym,’ Carney said.
The center also utilizes BU’s language departments as its student populace is often as diverse as BU’s. Many students speak Chinese and Korean.
‘We’re always looking for translators,’ Smith said.
In the wake of events like the Virginia Tech shootings, security has become a concern for many students and parents. For daycare centers, who are entrusted with the safety of young children, security is not overlooked.
‘Every family has a code to get into the building,’ Smith said. ‘There has never been an incident.’
The center is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monthly fees for BU graduate and undergraduate students are the least expensive, with full-day care costing $512 a month.