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Date: 5/25/2022
HOLYOKE – Keeping true to its mission of providing students the proper resources and support to achieve their goals, Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently celebrated the opening of its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center.
Sheila Gould, coordinator of early childhood programs at HCC, said in 2017 the college embarked on a strategic planning process that included a significant focus on basic needs that many HCC students struggle with. Their findings showed the main issues for students stemmed from food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation and childcare.
“Early in that process we as a college identified these barriers to success students were facing,” Gould said. “We [the early education department] had been talking about how we could as early education processionals figure out how the college could provide child care for families.”
The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch takes its name from the classic nursery rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” a name also borrowed for the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast, a recorded series focused on early education co-hosted by HCC faculty and staff, and the HCC Early Childhood Education department’s Itsy Bitsy Learning Lab.
“Itsy Bitsy everything,” said Gould. “The name really comes from this idea that small connections make really strong webs. This is a beautiful community. I graduated from Holyoke High. I took my first education classes at HCC. So, to be leading this department and seeing this come to life today means a lot to me personally. I just hope that this can be an example for more colleges.”
Gould said her department’s dean encouraged her to bring forth the idea of child watch as opposed to full-time childcare to HCC President Christina Royal during a brainstorming session. After the meeting, Royal asked her to come up with a formal proposal to bring to cabinet.
Despite a coronavirus pandemic-related delay in the project, Royal was still focused on securing funds for the child watch center and wanted to keep the idea alive for when students returned to campus. The $100,000 secured in funding with help from state Sen. John Velis went toward furniture and other utilities for the child watch center.
“Traditional childcare is when a child signs up for a full-time slot and is there all day and consistently. It’s what you use to go to work and it’s your reliable day-to-day care,” Gould said. “Child watch is a drop-in service. Say your typical childcare is not available that day, then you would drop your kid off at HCC child watch so you can go to class.”
Gould added this resource would be beneficial for night students as childcare typically does not run late in the night to match when some students are in class.
HCC student Kara Torres is a first-year student who has tried to make the most of her opportunity. Not only having to study for her accounting courses, but she also has a work-study job in the Student Engagement office and an internship with the college’s Student Ambassador Mentorship Program.
With all this on her plate as well as being the mother of 8-year-old twins, it has not always been smooth sailing for Torres.
“When their school is closed for teacher service days or their school vacations don’t line up with ours, it becomes difficult, because it’s either me or my wife who has to stay home,” the 29-year-old Holyoke resident said in a press release. “With my busy schedule, I can’t wait for them to be able to come in and be involved with this program. If anything happens now, I’ll be able to bring my kids with me to school. That makes me very excited.”
Torres hopes that the opening of HCC’s free child watch center will help alleviate the stress and anxiety of being both a parent and a college student.
On May 4, the new center had an official ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured Royal who was joined by Velis and state Rep. Patricia Duffy.
“We’re excited to be able to make good on our promise to focus on the childcare needs for our students,” said Royal at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “And that’s what today is about, delivering on that promise to help our student-parents be successful while they continue to change their lives through the power of education.”
Velis said at the ribbon cutting that the choice between an education or childcare was a choice that students should not have to be making.
“I always say this, but every time I come to HCC something good is happening,” Velis said. “You talk about food insecurity, housing, childcare – all important issues. Every time I come here you’re addressing one of them, so kudos to everybody in this room.”
Duffy spoke about a recent budget meeting she had at the State House with House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, who told her his focus for the fiscal year was on workforce development and education.
“Well, that’s music to my ears, Mr. Chair, because my top priority is Holyoke Community College,” Duffy said. “I mean, just the work that you [those in attendance of the ribbon-cutting] all do, the support you give our community, your recognition of who our students are and what they need – you’re helping our employers, you’re helping our families. I’m just so thrilled to be here today in this bright, beautiful room.”
HCC student parents will be able to start dropping off their children for child watch on May 24, the first day of summer classes. HCC is just the second community college in the state – and the only one in Western Massachusetts – to offer a child watch service for its students.