The Daily Bulletin Archive

In today’s America, more and more families have working parents—which necessitates day-care services for children. Fortunately, Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff have access to one of the region’s most affordable and reputable child-care establishments: the Buffalo State College Child Care Center.

Open since 1975, the Child Care Center is located in the Buckham Campus School, near Rees Street. The 16 staff members at the private, nonprofit organization oversee an average of 66 children a day, ranging from 6 weeks to 5 years of age (up to 12 years during the summer months).

The center exists to serve Buffalo State College but is open to anyone within the SUNY system—although the number of non–Buffalo State clients is negligible. According to Daniel Thiel, director of the Child Care Center, the center strives for a 50-50 split of children of students versus faculty and staff, but the numbers each year tend to fall around 70-30.

“Our center defies the typical high turnover rate in the child-care industry,” Thiel said. “Several teachers have been here more than 10 years, which forms a great foundation of longevity and dedication.”

The Child Care Center first opened through a grant fromUnited Students Government and receives continued financial support from USG as well as from outside grants, the college, and SUNY.

Accredited since 1991 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the center recently met new rigorous accreditation standards set a few years ago. It is one of only 645 centers in the nation to boast the honor.

“We have a great curriculum here at the Child Care Center,” Thiel said. “We believe that structured play is best for children. By being actively involved in developmentally appropriate play, children will learn, grow, and be happy.”

The center also prides itself on being a family-friendly environment. Parents are welcome to visit anytime and even have lunch with their children. The center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. on Fridays), but parents can choose flexible hours for pickup and drop-off to accommodate work schedules.

Affordability is also a hallmark of the center. Its private, nonprofit status keeps down cost, which is a sliding-scale fee based on household income.

Thiel recommends that anyone interested in enrolling a child at the center register as early as possible. The historically long waiting list tends to stretch about two to three semesters on average. The summer program, however, typically is not as booked. It allows children up to 12 years of age to enjoy the facilities and frequent field trips. Space is still available for this summer’s session, which is currently under way.

Although the Child Care Center is a private institution, it is deeply connected to campus. Students from many departments—especially Elementary Education and Reading, Health and Wellness, Psychology, and Social Work—regularly benefit from the center’s “learning lab” environment as student-workers, interns, and/or researchers. Roughly 40 students work or intern at the center each semester.

The center’s facility has five age-specific play areas: 6 weeks to 18 months, 18 months to 2 years, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds. There are always a minimum of two teachers per classroom; the average student-to-teacher ratio ranges from 4-to-1 to 8-to-1. The center also includes a gym area, kitchen, and fenced playground, and all areas are securely monitored.

In addition to reaccreditation, the Child Care Center also boasts recent awards for some of its staff. Mary Wilson, program coordinator, received the 2006 Dorothy B. Millard Award from the Child Care Resource Network, a local professional organization, for her outstanding 20 years of administrative service. Teacher Nicole Horning recently coordinated the Week of the Young Child, an exhibition of artwork by 144 children from 20 day-care centers throughout Western New York that was on display at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. And Thiel was recently honored as the 2007 Outstanding Program Director or Administrator by the Association for the Education of Young Children of Western New York (AEYC), the local NAEYC affiliate.

Awards and accreditation aside, what matters most to Thiel is doing what’s best for children. He never forgets that he’s running a business—or that providing excellent care is paramount for continued success. “Being here for children and their families,” he said, “is what we do.”