February 9, 2018

To: President Eric Kaler

Executive Vice President and Provost Karen Hanson

Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations, Brian Burnett

Dean, College of Education and Human Development, Jean Quam

In recent weeks, the senators and elected officers of the Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Senate have received an unprecedented number of emails from our constituents expressing concern over the decision of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) to close the University of Minnesota Child Development Center (UMCDC). From conversations with our constituents, discussions with stakeholders, and investigations into the decision, we do not believe that closure of the Child Development Center is in the University’s best interest, nor has the process leading to this decision been compatible with the University’s values and standard decision-making processes. We make the following statement to oppose the closure of UMCDC, both in support of parent-employees and as stakeholders in a supportive campus climate.

The decision to close UMCDC was made without consultation of the elected governance bodies of the University of Minnesota. Dean Quam of CEHD stated in her Thursday, January 25th, 2018, meeting with parents that the decision to close UMCDC was reached only after a nearly decade-long conversation with central administration on the future of the program. Dean Quam also made clear that the administration did not wish to reconstitute the UMCDC outside of CEHD. We are aware of no instance during that time in which stakeholders outside of high-level administrators were included on the decision-making process. While each unit within the University has its own autonomy, the decision to close UMCDC clearly has impacts on the broader campus community and must therefore be treated as a broader campus conversation. The way this decision was reached did not allow for the sort of creative problem solving and collaborative efforts that we wish to be known for at the University of Minnesota.

Closure of the UMCDC, with an RFP to follow, would violate the University’s commitment to the staff and culture of the UMCDC. The exceptional reputation of the UMCDC is due to the wonderful employees who have dedicated years to educating the children of our University community. Per CEHD’s external review of its child care services, research, and training capacity, 75% of the University of Minnesota students enrolled in the early childhood teacher certification program complete their early childhood practicum placements in UMCDC classrooms. The UMCDC has literally been preparing the future early childhood teaching workforce in the region. No Request For Proposal targeting corporate childcare providers will be able to replicate the training, experience, and understanding of University of Minnesota values that the current staff and students already bring. Furthermore, current UMCDC employees will not be able to wait for the outcome of an RFP to begin looking for jobs. Likely, some of them will leave for new opportunities before the 18-month closure is complete. With them, we lose valuable members of our community with years of service to the University, not to mention the disruption and pain this causes in their lives. This loss is the unnecessary result of the current plan to close the UMCDC, only to outsource its role in our University and bring in new employees in their place.

Finding childcare is a major point of stress for members of our community; we should move forward, not backward, on this issue. We have heard from those who would lose childcare from UMCDC closing. We have also heard from those who have sought childcare elsewhere, either due to a lack of access, affordability, or a better fit for their family. All of these voices have affirmed that finding childcare is a major financial, emotional, and logistical stressor in the lives of employees with young children—stress that falls disproportionately on women. Providing on-campus options for childcare is the norm among our peer institutions. Remaining competitive for top-quality staff and faculty will require expansion of these services. The UMCDC has a reputation for high quality, evidence-based child development in an environment that supports a family-friendly workplace. Closing it would be a significant setback to the childcare options available to our employees. We should instead seek to expand affordable, accessible, high-quality childcare to more members of our community—staff, faculty, and students.

Recommendations for path forward

We are grateful to Provost Hanson for convening an advisory group to ensure a more inclusive process in future decision-making regarding childcare on campus. However, even the most collaborative RFP process will not be responsive to the concerns of parent-employees and UMCDC stakeholders—we must address the fundamental question of whether or not the UMCDC needs to close at all. So far, that question has not been brought to University governance, nor to the parents, employees, and families who depend on UMCDC. We call on President Kaler, Provost Hanson, and Dean Quam to allow the faculty and staff of the University of Minnesota to do what we do best—find creative solutions to improve our community, together. We want immediate action to suspend the closure of the UMCDC, and an inclusive system-wide discussion of how high-quality childcare can be made accessible to all community members of the University of Minnesota.

Thank you,

Ian M. Ringgenberg, Chair

On behalf of the P&A Senate