Nearly two years after officials identified a strong need for affordable, accessible and quality campus day-care program, the University has yet to get the system going.

Penn State Pro-Choice and Graduate Student Association President Ken Martin have drafted a petition demanding that a director be installed in the future Office of Child Care Services before University President Bryce Jordan retires in August. The request is a reasonable one to keep the ball rolling.

The University should not lose momentum if it hopes to have the office in place by the end of Spring Semester, as University Vice President of Student Service William Asbury has predicted. From there, some solid steps can be taken to quickly implement the service -- a basic need of all student, faculty and staff parents with toddlers.

The Child Care Task Force, composed of students and faculty members, has spent much time and effort researching the feasibility of a program at Penn State. Last October, the task force submitted a list of recommendations to the University on how to approach the child-care issue.

Guided by the group's report, Asbury and three other administrators have moved forward by completing a job description for a director of the future Office of Child Care Services.

The necessity for child care at universities across the nation is well-documented. In March 1988, the Strategic Study Group on the Status of Women found Penn State lacking and recommended the University provide affordable, quality family care opportunities.

Single parents and working mothers have replaced the traditional family. The resulting need for day care has created an unanswered demand. An effective program would enable students with young children to continue their education.

The task force has suggested that the University establish day-care facilities on the main campus and some of the Commonwealth campuses. It has asked for a flexible policy that provides financial support for parents, training for more child-care professionals and parental staffing.

Until an effective day-care program is built here, not only will faculty, staff and students stay home unnecessarily, but Penn State will continue to live in the past.