Students
      Come
      First?!?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Tracy
      Smith
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Children
      at
      UPE!
      Daycare
      rehearsing
     
     
      for
      their
      Christmas
      concert
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      Daycare
      Centre
      located
      in
      the
      basement
     
     
      of
      Marian
      Hall
      has
      been
      in
      Operation
      for
     
     
      approximately
      fourteen
      years.
      The
      daycare
      offers
     
     
      child
      care
      to
      children
      of
      the
      student
      and
      staff
      of
     
     
      UPEI
      and
      if
      there
      is
      any
      available
      space
      to
      children
     
     
      in
      the
      outside
      community.
      Applications
      are
     
     
      accepted
      on
      a
      first
      come
      first
      serve
      basis
      with
      the
     
     
      children
      of
      students
      getting
      first
      priority.
      There
      are
     
     
      three
      waiting
      lists,
      one
      for
      students,
      one
      for
      staff
     
     
      and
      one
      for
      outsiders.
      When
      a
      spot
      becomes
     
     
      available
      the
      waiting
      list
      of
      students
      is
      gone
      through
     
     
      until
      the
      spot
      is
      full,
      in
      the
      case
      that
      all
      the
      parents
     
     
      on
      the
      list
      have
      already
      made
      previous
      arrangements
     
     
      Or
      are
      no
      longer
      interested
      the
      daycare
      staff
      the
     
     
      proceeds
      to
      the
      list
      of
      staff
      and
      if
      the
      spot
      is
      still
     
     
      not
      filled
      they
      procecd
      to
      the
      list
      of
      outsiders.
      The
     
     
      Daycare
      doesn’t
      have
      a
      written
      policy
      on
      how
      it
      is
     
     
      Tun,
      ex.
      the
      costs,
      the
      age
      children
      will
      be
      taken
      into
     
     
      the
      daycare,
      or
      the
      way
      the
      waiting
      list
      works.
      The
     
     
      closest
      thing
      to
      a
      written
      policy
      of
      this
      sort
      is
      the
     
     
      pink
      pamphlet
      available
      from
      student
      services.
     
     
      What
      the
      daycare
      calls
      the
      policy
      just
      mentions
     
     
      things
      like
      holidays,
      storm
      days,
      etc.
      So
      where
      does
     
     
      it
      say
      students
      first?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      very
      last
      line
      of
      the
      pink
      pamphlet
      it
      says
     
     
      "Students
      first,
      then
      staff"
      it
      is
      not
      stated
      in
      any
     
     
      other
      informational
      hand-out
      given
      out
      by
      the
     
     
      daycare.
      The
      application
      form
      for
      entrance
      into
      the
     
     
      daycare
      doesn’t
      ask
      anywhere
      within
      the
      five
      pages
     
     
      of
      questions
      if
      the
      parent
      is
      a
      student
      or
      not.
      Is
      it
     
     
      really
      students
      first?
      Maybe,
      to
      some
      extent
      but
     
     
      let’s
      look
      at
      some
      things
      not
      written
      in
      the
      pink
     
     
      pamphlet.
      Once
      a
      child
      is
      in
      the
      daycare
      that
      child
     
     
      is
      there
      until
      they
      are
      six
      years
      old
      or
      until
      the
     
     
      parents
      remove
      them
      from
      the
      daycare.
      This
      sounds
     
     
      fair
      until
      it
      is
      looked
      at
      closely.
      The
      daycare
      only
     
     
      takes
      thirty-five
      children
      (it
      is
      allowed
      by
      fire
     
     
      regulations
      to
      have
      49
      children).
      The
      daycare
      is
     
     
      operated
      during
      the
      summer
      also
      and
      if
      there
      is
     
     
      available
      spots
      they
      proceed
      to
      staff
      then
      to
     
     
      Outsiders
      if
      necessary.
      [Remember
      once
      the
      child
     
     
      is
      in
      the
      daycare
      they
      are
      there
      until
      they
      turn
      six
     
     
      unless
      the
      parents
      remove
      the
      child.]
      also
      if
      a
     
     
      student
      graduates
      and
      has
      a
      child
      in
      the
      daycare
     
     
      then
      the
      child
      also
      stays
      until
      they
      are
      six.
      So
      when
     
     
      September
      rolls
      around
      the
      daycare
      is
      filled.
      In
     
     
      march,
      1989,
      there
      was
      a
      story
      written
      in
      the
      Gem
     
     
      by
      Laura
      Leigh
      Kilfoil
      about
      the
      daycare.
      The
     
     
      figures
      stated
      in
      that
      story
      of
      the
      number
      of
     
     
      children
      in
      the
      daycare
      where,
      19
      children
      of
     
     
      students,
      10
      children
      of
      staff
      and
      9
      children
      of
     
     
      outsiders.
      A
      year
      and
      a
      half
      later
      (November
      15,
     
     
      1990)
      the
      figures
      are
      these
      10
      children
      of
      students,
     
     
      10
      children
      of
      staff,
      and
      17
      children
      of
      outsiders
     
     
      with
      30-40
      students
      on
      a
      waiting
      list
      trying
      to
      get
     
     
      their
      children
      in
      the
      daycare.
      How
      is
      this
      possible?
     
     
      What
      happened
      to
      students
      first?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      an
      interview
      with
      a
      student
      mother
      who
      is
     
     
      attending
      UPEI
      as
      a
      single,
      full-time
      student,
      and
     
     
      living
      on
      campus,
      she
      says
      that
      she
      can’t
      get
      her
     
     
      child
      into
      the
      daycare
      because
      it
      is
      full.
      She
      is
      one
     
     
      of
      the
      30-40
      students
      on
      the
      waiting
      list.
      So
      while
     
     
      she
      is
      on
      a
      waiting
      list
      she
      is
      waiting
      for
      a
      spot
      to
     
     
      become
      available
      and
      paying
      the
      price
      for
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      15,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      5