Frequently Asked Questions
- Does being on the waitlist for the ASI ECEC count towards where you fall on the Children’s Campus waitlist?
- No. Children's Campus is not affiliated with the ASI Children's Center. You may be on the wait list for both programs if you choose, but doing so does not increase your chances of being admitted to either program.
- Are there any job openings yet for Children's Campus?
- Positions will be posted on the SF State Human Resources website as they become available and will be announced on the Children's Campus website. Please check these websites periodically throughout the fall for updates.
- If I'm not SF State faculty and staff, can my children apply for admission to Children's Campus?
- Community families are eligible to apply for enrollment in Children's Campus. However, the families of SF State faculty and staff have priority.
- Is there a wait list?
- Yes, all eligible families who submit an application are put on the wait list until enrollment. Enrollment begins in April for fall session and November for spring session.
- My child will not be 6 months old by the start of a session; can he still enroll?
- Infants must be at least 6 months of age by the first day they start the program.
- What is the teacher : child ratio in the infant rooms?
- The teacher:child ratio in the infant rooms is 1:3. There are two infant rooms and each room accommodates 6 infants.
- What process determined the rate schedule?
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Children's Campus was initiated based on requests by faculty and staff for quality child care and education at a site close to campus. The program will facilitate recruitment of new faculty and staff as well as provide support to existing SF State employees. A Children's Campus Committee composed of staff and faculty have worked to develop a self sustaining program and one that will provide academic support to programs with students preparing for careers in teaching, psychology, nursing, kinesiology and other disciplines.
Several considerations went into development of the rate schedule for the Children's Campus. Rates were compared to the Associated Student Childcare Center Inc. (AS) on campus and found to be identical for the infant/toddler age group and 64 cents more per hour for the preschool ages. Comparisons were made with other similar children's programs in our local area including UCSF's Marin Day School, Montessori and 150 Parker. The Children's Campus rates are in line with these other programs and in most cases offers more days of service. The AS Center is subsidized by student fees and other external funds.
The Children's Campus will follow the University calendar and only be closed during full campus closures, one week prior to the summer program and one week prior to the fall start date. This time is necessary for teachers to prepare the classrooms and meet with parents. For staff, this schedule is more flexible than one that follows the academic calendar.
The goal of Children's Campus is to be able to offer affordable childcare. In the future it is our hope to offer tuition discounts such as those for siblings, full year enrollment, and sliding scale for income. Most child care programs require external funding through grants and subsidies to meet expenses. The Children's Campus will be able to submit grants and become eligible for certain subsidies such as Preschool For All after at least one year of full operation to assure revenue meets expenses.
There are many costs that need to be covered for a program to start up. These include hiring staff several months ahead of the program start date for orientation, training and preparing the classrooms. Although we have worked diligently on an operating budget for the first year we are sure that there will be unforeseen expenses that occur.
The San Francisco State University Corporation contributed to the build out of the Children's Campus through a $700k gift to demolish the old Lakeview Center and clear and prepare the land. The University has leveraged $3.8M to fund the architect, and construction. We are working with funders and individual donors to support us with outdoor landscaping and classroom equipment.
