The St. Edward’s University Faculty Senate and administration continue to discuss childcare, but lack of space and funding are presenting challenges to the proposal.

In 2008, the Faculty Senate voted in a subcommittee that would research the interest on campus childcare. The report found that there was interest in supplying this service, and so the committee has continued to look into options.

At the meeting, the childcare committee recommended that St. Edward’s “hire an independent consultant” to investigate “alternative approaches” and that “members of the committee be involved in future meetings with vendors.”

Fred Taylor from Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a childcare provider in Houston that focuses on employer-sponsored childcare, found a previous Hilltop Views article online and contacted the university, expressing interest in working with St. Edward’s. Taylor was unable to comment because he is in the process of researching options for St. Edward’s. However, he is not contracted by the university to do so.

“What we want is a good study,” associate professor of New College and co-chair of the subcommittee Craig Campbell said. “He is representing a company that is only one company.”

The subcommittee reported to the senate on Sept. 17 that Taylor had talked with Executive Vice President and Provost Sister Donna Jurick and said that there was no way to make money out of the situation. If childcare were to be offered, it would have to be cost-neutral or revenue positive. Jurick has declined to comment until after she has met with the committee.

“[Jurick] saw the need, and she is worried about the money,” Campbell said. “We may need to have a bake sale.”

One of the major challenges facing the proposal is finding a space that could house a childcare facility.

“We’re using all of our space on campus,” professor and faculty senate president Mary Rist said. “If they had to build a facility, cost would be prohibitive.”

Rist said that it is still in the discussion phase because, although the senate has done research to establish interest, it hasn’t done enough on what the fiscal options could be.

“We established interest, and now we are brainstorming because there is not a pot of money dedicated to [childcare],” Rist said.

As of now the question still remains as to where the committee is headed and how the possible childcare could be implemented. At this point, Rist said, there is not enough information to draft any official proposal.

“If we can establish that this can be cost effective, then we have to see what the next step is,” Rist said. “But we don’t know what that is.”