Two University faculty members have discovered it is possible to find at home an affordable and successful alternative to traditional child care -- even when both parents work.

In August 1987, Lorna Rasmussen, a film instructor, and Leola Johnson, a journalism instructor, decided to hire a caregiver to care for their children in Rassmussen's home. Eventually, other parents became involved, and now the caregiver is responsible for up to three children at a time including Rasmussen's 23-month-old son Drew and Johnson's two-year-old son, Alexander.

"You don't know what's going on in a day-care center," Rasmussen said. "We wanted the children in our homes."

The caregiver, Lisa Christine, arrives at Rasmussen's home in Lemont at 9 in the morning and spends the day with the children until 5. Both Johnson and Rasmussen described Christine, who was trained by the University's Nanny Program, as "wonderful" and "amazingly calm."

"She's not just a babysitter," Johnson said. "She has a highly developed sense of justice and fair play and has thought through all the issues of children that age."

The cost for each parent involved is $1.70 per hour, Rasmussen said, adding that the cost could decrease with an additional child. Christine, 21, earns substantially more than caregivers who work in day-care centers, Rasmussen said.

"The trick is to keep it so (it's) affordable to parents but doesn't exploit the person who is working for you," she said.

Christine said she makes at least $2 per hour more than if she worked in a public facility, adding that she even gets paid for sick days.

Linda Duerr, director of Cedar Child Development Center, located in Cedar Building, said caregivers with baccalaureate degrees in child-care related fields earn about $8,650 per year by working in day-care centers.

Christine said she is happy with her job and that it is working out very well for her.

"I really like this a lot . . . it's convenient," she said.

Rasmussen and Johnson said they were dissatisfied with other child-care alternatives. The waiting list for one day-care center was 300 to 400 infants, Rasmussen said, adding that she was uncomfortable with the staff at another center.

"There weren't people who seemed to have that much on the ball," she said.

While Johnson enrolled one of her sons in a local facility, Rasmussen said she has never used a public day-care center.

Johnson's older son, 6-year-old Ray, attended Cedar Child Development Center from age 2-and-one-half to six. Johnson said her son "despised" the center, probably because he realized her own dissatisfaction.

Duerr said she believed Johnson's son needed a smaller environment with fewer people and more individualized attention.

"Daycare is not for everyone. I think Ray required more of a structured setting . . . he was at his best when he was with fewer children," she said.

Although both Johnson and Rasmussen said they are satisfied with their child-care arrangement, they pointed out some disadvantages.

Finding the right caregiver is difficult and time consuming, Rassmussen said, explaining that money is needed for advertising and parents must have flexible schedules in case the child-care person does not show up.

Despite the problems in any child-care situation, Rasmussen and Johnson said they are advocates of day-care because their children should interact with people outside their families.

Jean Morrow, coordinator of film facilities and equipment for the University, and a friend of the two instructors, took advantage of the day-care opportunity after her son Christopher was born. She said 11-month-old Christopher enjoys spending his afternoons with Christine and the other children.

"He's getting excellent care," she said. "Lisa is doing a good job."

Rasmussen said the children respond well to having their days planned for them.

The parents plan to continue with their current arrangement for another year even though their children may be old enough for a day-care center, she said. "We like this setup so much because it's a much smaller setting," Rasmussen said, explaining that their arrangement is a model which is applicable to many parents' needs. Parents can even set their own pay scale depending on how many children are involved.

"It's a deal all the way around," Johnson said.