Ivy Tech students now have childcare options at Fort Wayne campus

Posted: May 18, 2023 / 11:18 AM EDT

Updated: May 18, 2023 / 05:24 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Fort Wayne parents enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College will soon have an on-campus option for childcare, in what organizers say is an effort to make childcare more accessible for students.

The college’s Fort Wayne campus is partnering with YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne to bring the YMCA Childwatch Site, which officially opens June 5– just in time for the summer term. The site is at the Coliseum campus, 3800 N. Anthony Blvd, and Ivy Tech students can drop their kids off five days a week for up to four hours each day.

In a fall 2022 survey, 95% of students who responded said there was a need for childcare options on campus, Ivy Tech said in a release.

“As a working mother, I know the struggles of finding quality childcare at an affordable cost,” said Dr. Kim Barnett-Johnson, the chancellor of Ivy Tech Fort Wayne and Warsaw. “We understand our students are working to support their families, and Ivy Tech hopes to alleviate any challenges that might make their journey harder. We’re grateful for the opportunity to become a new YMCA Childwatch Site.”

Students need to register ahead of time, and from there, they can choose regular or drop-in services. Students have to be on campus at Ivy Tech North or Coliseum to get childcare there.

Organizers said services can take 30 children at a time and are available first-come, first-serve. The site will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Children can be registered at the beginning of each 8-week term with a registration fee of $150 for the whole 8-week session. At the beginning of each semester, it costs $50 for one child and $25 for each additional child. The daily drop-in rate is $20, organizers said.

“The Jackson Lehman YMCA is excited to partner with Ivy Tech to bring this service to the campus,” said Tabitha Ervin, Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne. “Childcare can be a barrier for many in our community and by providing this service, the Y hopes to eliminate that barrier and support students in the pursuit of their education by supporting their children with care provided by trained and caring staff from the Y.”