PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 20, No. 8, Oct. 19, 2000

Trustees approve new site for Child Development Lab

By Sabryna Cornish
UIC News Bureau

The new child development center will be located two doors down from the current Child Development Lab at 1104 W. Nevada St., Urbana.

The Board of Trustees approved the site for the $5.2 million project to expand the Child Development Laboratory at its meeting Oct. 12 in Chicago.

The expansion will provide 22,500 square feet of additional space and will serve 96 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 years old. The building will include classrooms, teacher offices, observation rooms, a research room, kitchen, laundry and playground space.

The site for the expanded laboratory will be on land now occupied by two UI-owned houses at 1003 and 1005 W. Nevada Street. A parking lot behind those houses also will be consumed by the new building.

Trustee Susan Gravenhorst said she approves of the plan, but is concerned about providing day care for infants. Chancellor Michael Aiken said the idea of caring for infants was kept in mind while the project was being designed.

"The whole concept of the building has anticipated that variation," he said.

Construction funds are internal and the laboratory will be self-supporting, said Robert Todd, associate vice president for administration and human resources.

"I certainly think this is something that is needed," Trustee Martha O’Malley said.

Graduate students and others on campus have frequently asked for more child care, particularly for infants. Last year students had a "baby-in" to emphasize the need for more day care.

The plans for the new child development center were approved earlier this year, but trustees asked the designers to take plans back to the drawing board when the first recommended site – what many consider a historic grove of trees on campus – sparked controversy and dissension. This new site will not sacrifice one tree, according to the designers.

Aiken said the laboratory serves two functions: It’s a day-care center and a learning resource.

"It will provide opportunities for students to observe the children," he said.

Trustee Kenneth Schmidt said offering infant and child care can help to attract and retain employees.

"It is an invaluable tool for retention and recruitment," he said.