Much of this article is the result of a conversation between Helen Cook and the Womens Rights Officer a week ago.

While the concerns of the University Creche and what happens to it does not affect all students at Victoria University, there are some students who would not be at university if the creche did not provide the service it does. If it were not for the creche most of these students would have little or no chance of completing degrees or studying at university. This is because these students are also parents. For them a low cost creche where they can leave their children while they attend lectures, and study is the first priority at university.

The start of a Creche

The University Creche began in 1967 as a parent co-op with 10 parents. It lapsed in 1968 but reformed in 1969 catering for 30 children. At the same time it was officically recognised by the university who supplied the promises at 67 Fairlie Terrace.

In 1970 the creche had 50 student parents and approximately 55 children. The university became financially involved; maintaining the building and paying the salary of one assistant. The parents were paying the salaries of two part-time supervisors. The numbers increased to 75 student parents and 87 children in 1971. The creche was incorporated into the Student Welfare Services and the Creche Advisory Committee was established. By 1972 the university was paying a full-time supervisor and parent fees of $14 per term were introduced to pay for three more staff and an assistant at peak times. While there was still parent participation the original parents' co-op had lapsed in favour of the more organised Creche.

1973 saw the formation of a Studass creche on campus to provide "free" care for the children of student parents. While not itself viable, the Studass creche showed the need for expansion. The limitation was of course money. In 1974 the parents' fees were increased and donation solicited from parents and Studass. By the end of the year 69 Fairlie Terrace was part of the creche. There were now 85 student parents and the creche became affiliated to the Students' Association as a club. The university was now paying approximately 60% of the operating costs. While admittedly money was a preoccupation it is good to remember the creche had another full-time preoccupation, that of the children, and in 1976 it was catering for 133 children.

The Present Situation

This year the creche has 170 children. 70 in the 3 to 5 age group and 100, 3 and under. 69 Fairlie Terrace caters for the 3 to 5 age group and is staffed by an assistant supervisor and one to two additional assistants depending on the number of children in the creche. 67 Fairlie Terrace caters for the under 3 group and is also staffed by an assistant supervisor and one, two or more assistants as needed. The creche is able to cope with the numbers requiring creche care by operating a short term creche, providing short term care for a large number of children at staggered times.

Both creches are equipped to cope with 20 children at one time. This is very important because of staff/child ratios. The under 3 group requires one staff for every 5 children, the 3 to 5 group one staff for every 10. This is the minimum by regulation but it is sometimes desirable to have more. Extra help and assistance is provided by student parents and interested students. There is currently one supervisor/co-ordinator, Helen Cook, whose salary is paid by the university, four assistant supervisors who are paid half by the university and half by student parents' fees. All additional assistants are paid for by the creche parents.

The university maintains the creche buildings, cleans and supplies them, as well as providing the telephones. The staff are all experienced or trained and comparatively well paid. This is necessary to ensure the expertise and also to attract staff despite the irregular employment — the creche like the university operates from March to October, there is a holiday creche but the numbers are much smaller.

As the creche now stands, student parents are entitled to up to 6 hours a week creche care for the children for their $30 a term. A limited amount of extra time is available for 30c an hour. This gives student parents approximately 4 lecture hours and 2 study hours a week. With this distribution of child-free hours it is possible for a student parent to complete a degree part-time in five years. There has been a 90.1% pass rate amongst student parent creche users, but it is obvious that the onus of organising course work and study time around the care of their children falls onto the student. This is an even more difficult problem for the student parent attempting to study full-time.

The Need for Longer Creche Hours

There is definitely a demand for longer term creche care for student parents attempting full time courses particularly, the maximum available at the moment is 1012 hours a week and this for older children only. Single student parents have a real problem with a child or children and the necessity of study and are faced with the dilema of study or child. In two parent families the income earner (wife or husband) is often holding a full-time Job and is unable to contribute time during the day to allow the student parent free hours.

The amount of creche time wanted by student parents is highly individual, often dependant upon other support systems available to the student; partner, family, friends or the use of other creches. Most student parents do not want full-time creche care, but would like more, many would like a regular 4 hour day. The biggest problem is money.

The creche operates under regulations set by the Social Welfare Department regarding facilities and the number of children for each staff member. If there were any increase in the number of children or the number of hours spent under creche care by children, more staff and more facilities would be needed. The creche is only able to cope with the number of children it does by maintaining a fairly strictly regulated short term timetable. The creche does not provide some limited half day care for children over 3 but this is not possible for children under 3 because of the extra trained staff and facilities necessary Even for the child over 3 there are problems related to the length of time spent under creche care. Most of these problems are soluble but not within the creche as it stands now and not without money.

Other Options

A full time creche would cost, at a conservative estimate, $30 a week to each parent. Very few students would be able to pay more than they do at the moment. Yet the demand for a longer term creche still exists, there is a proposal for a 'staff creche' to cater for children of parents who work at university and in [unclear: same] way that staff may use the creche once the student demand has been satisfied, students would be able to use the staff creche once staff demand had been satisfied. This is however not a confirmed proposition and we are still faced with a situation where the demand for creche care (there are 15 children on the waiting list of the creche) is not filled by what is available. Some pressure would be relieved by the staff creche but by no means all.

The creche has several options (dependent upon money). It can expand continuing along the same lines catering for a large number of children but only on a short term basis. Or the creche can seek to establish an alternative full day/half day creche care center elsewhere on campus. This would of course take an enormous amount of money and not one that the student parents alone would be able to provide.

Now whether or not there is enough creche care may not affect you directly but it is a student service and as a student service concerns all students at Victoria. It is important that we support all student services to both improve and expand them. The students for whom this particular service is critical to the continuation of their university studies need the support of all other students.

Victoria Quade (Womens Rights Officer)