Other Child Care Services at Duke
There are a number of services available for the care of young children of graduate students and other members of the Duke community. The Staff and Family Programs (S&FP) Web site lists many family related resources. Included are links to Duke’s Children’s Campus, the child care center, which has some spaces for graduate student children, and there is financial aid available for this and other child care options through either The Graduate School or the Office of Student Affairs. Also included is a link to our network of about 60 family child care homes called “The Care Connection”, which lists providers who care for up to five young children in their homes. Detailed information is given about each provider’s program, including fees, ratings, and bimonthly updates on availability. The website is interactive, allowing parents to search by location, child’s age, fee, or rating level. The S&FP office also publishes a babysitting directory in the Chronicle three times a year, after the beginning of each semester. It is useful for part-time, regular care, or for occasional care, mostly in the child’s home. This directory is also published on the Web site via the link to “Babysitting and Elder Care Guide”. Students and their spouses or partners are welcome to list themselves as sitters in this directory and should call Celenzy Chavis to register.
If a student's spouse or partner has experience with children and wants to offer child care in his or her home as an independent provider, please e-mail Lorna Chafe to inquire about this work. Completing a registration form and interview are involved in listing on the Care Connection Web page.
There are about 150 child care centers and preschools in the Durham area, reflecting many approaches to early education and sponsored by public and private entities. There are also about 350 family child care homes. Like centers, these are licensed by the state, and information on all licensed programs is available at http://www.ncchildcare.net, the Web site for the N.C. Division of Child Development. The Division regulates childcare in our state. There are also unlicensed providers who operate legally from their homes, while caring for only one or two children in addition to their own. If an unlicensed provider is caring for more than two unrelated children, she is operating illegally, and problems are more likely.
For more information about child care services contact:
Lorna Chafe
re: becoming a caregiver with Care Connection
Staff and Family Programs Office
154 Trent Drive
919-684-1940
lornachafe@earthlink.net , lorna.chafe@duke.edu
Celenzy Chavis
re: becoming a babysitter
Staff and Family Programs Office
919-684-9040
celenzy.chavis@duke.edu
Duke Children's Campus
Director, Valerie Person
511 Alexander Avenue
919-684-8644
The Duke Children's Campus, operated by Bright Horizons, has space for 153 children aged six weeks old to kindergarten age. Graduate students may apply for enrollment for their children by completing the necessary forms at Duke Children's Campus or from http://hr.duke.edu/dcc/. Graduate students have two options for financial aid. They may apply for a Duke University Child Care Scholarship by contacting Linda Moiseenko as explained below; or they may apply for a Graduate School Child Care Subsidy.
Duke University Child Care Scholarship
The Duke University Child Care Scholarship Fund helps support families who need financial assistance with child care expenses. Applications are accepted in the spring and awards are disbursed during the subsequent academic year.
For more information, contact :
Linda Moiseenko
Dean of Students Office
2000 Crowell Hall
919-684-6711
linda.moiseenko@duke.edu
Lactation Rooms
Faculty, staff, or students interested in using one of the lactation rooms should contact Staff & Family Programs at 919-684-9040 to request activation of their Duke ID card for a specific room. More information about the lactation rooms can be found at http://www.hr.duke.edu/child-family/.
Child Care Services Association
The Child Care Services Association (CCSA) is a private, non-profit agency created to assist families in finding high quality child care in the Durham and Chapel Hill areas. Duke University makes an annual contribution to this organization so that Duke staff, faculty, and students have access to its services.
Child Care Services Association Totline
In Durham
Child Care Services Association
919-403-6950
In Chapel Hill
Child Care Services Association
919-967-3272
N.C. Division of Child Development
http://www.ncchildcare.org/
This Web site provides information about the new, five-star rating scale which the division created in 2000 to evaluate the quality of all licensed child care programs in North Carolina. One can search either by name of a program or by zip code to learn about ratings.
Duke Child Care Partnership
Parents who work at Duke University and Health System now have greater access to quality child care through the new Duke Child Care Partnership. Duke has partnered with Child Care Services Association (CCSA) to provide a $200,000 donation to fund grants to area child care centers for improving the quality of child care or expanding space for infants and toddlers. In exchange for this financial support, Duke faculty, staff, and students will receive priority for vacant spaces at these facilities when they become available.
See http://www.hr.duke.edu/dccp/ for a listing of participating centers.
Last Updated (by wat@duke.edu): 07-18-2006