Traditional families are, in many ways, a myth of the past. The reality of working mothers and fathers, and single parents have replaced the idea of fathers tackling the nine-to-five grind and mothers staying home to care for the kids. Today's untraditional households seek affordable child care from every employer.

And at Penn State, students, staff and faculty deserve just that -- affordable, accessible and quality care for their children. If the newly appointed Child Care Task Force works swiftly and effectively, such child care can become a tangible reality.

University President Bryce Jordan announced the task force in December, prompted by the Campus Child Care Coalition. By June 1, the task force is expected to report on the feasibility of child care for the University's state-wide system.

The need for child care at the University and nationwide is not a new one. Last March, the Strategic Study Group on the Status of Women documented this need and recommended that the University provide affordable quality family care opportunities. In its work, the task force will study child care at other universities to see which system is most effective. Although Penn State is not a leader in this field, the task force formation is encouraging.

The six month wait for recommendations and further wait for implementation may frustrate some, but the task force can use this time to do a thorough study, looking at other universities' systems and also talking with the people who need child care here.

Task force members should be cautioned that their committee lacks substantial representation from undergraduate students, especially those with children. During the next six months, they should seek information not only from other school systems, but also from the people here who would be affected directly by a child-care program.

Undergraduates with children need affordable child care as well, to balance the costs of living and raising children with rising tuition. For a University to educate all people -- and not just single, childless young adults -- it must expand its services.

Sixteen to 18 percent of undergraduate students University-wide are age 24 or older. The task force will study how many of the returning adults actually have children.

If implemented, child care will benefit the entire University community and the administration should support the task force in its efforts to investigate ways to partially fund a child-care system. Child care can work as an incentive for hiring and aid in the retention of faculty members, especially women.

Undoubtedly, the task force faces an extensive chore. The University community is depending on its work to make Penn State both a better employer and a better educator. With the time allotted, it should be able to successfully recommend a system that will accomplish these goals. The administration then will have the responsibility of seeing the recommendations through.