As other Big Ten schools incorporate programs and build facilities for student parents seeking child care, some Penn State student groups are approaching administrators asking for such programs at the University.

Melanie Antonio, a member of the Student Parent Organization of Penn State and the Undergraduate Student Government Academic Assembly, said affordable child care is hard to come by.

Antonio, who is a student parent, said many students "can't get into facilities or can't afford them." Because of this, many student parents turn to unlicensed providers, where there is often not enough adult supervision, she added.

To address these concerns, USG Senate and Academic Assembly began to investigate child-care options and found the University's programs on campus geared mainly toward faculty and staff members.

At the beginning of this semester, they began to write letters to various administrators, including University President Joab Thomas, requesting more University child-care involvement.

Thomas said a new child-care center will be opened at the University's Research Park to serve the entire Penn State community, including students. Currently a committee is looking into the costs and feasibility of other child-care programs, he added.

Mary Shiffer, director of the child-care program, said that in the last five years, other Big Ten schools have incorporated child care programs for students, including the construction of buildings used specifically for these programs.

Diane Johnson, secretary at the University of Minnesota's child-care program, said the university provides student parents with child care for children between the ages of three months and pre-kindergarten.

She added that Minnesota uses a "sliding-fee scale" with child-care costs based on the income and age group of the parents.

A resource and referral service has also been implemented for parents who are put on waiting lists, Johnson added. This service helps parents find other child-care options.

Recently, providing child care for student parents has become an important recruitment and retention tool for universities, Shiffer said.

As part of a pilot program, a University-subsidized child-care center opened at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 109 McAllister St., 15 months ago.

The center's priority is for students who cannot afford regular day care, or do not qualify for the Title 20 state subsidy. Title 20, a need-based subsidy, says that parents seeking aid must prove they cannot afford the full price of adequate child care. In addition, people applying for aid must also work at least 20 hours a week.

Shiffer said this is a problem for full-time students and student teachers who do not get paid for their work.

At the St. Paul's center, a "flex-care" system is used. Students bring their children during the hours they need care and are charged on a per hour basis rather than a flat rate.

The center at St. Paul's has been full since it opened, and there is a long waiting list, Shiffer said.

The program's success is "pointing the way," proving to the University that there is a need for child care in the student population, she said, adding that it is important to realize that this demand will continue to increase.