1. Who is eligible for child care in the UCB Early Childhood Education Program centers? What center will my child attend, if accepted?
Children of UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty families are prioritized for spaces in the UCB ECEP centers. Children of LBNL, UCOP, UCB post-doctoral and visiting scholars, and other UC campus staff/faculty families receive "secondary level" priority.  Placements are made at one of eight centers, depending on the child’s age and available spaces at the centers. Once a child is accepted into the ECEP program, he/she may continue in the program until he/she becomes too old, and as long as a parent maintains UC eligibility. Classroom and/or center assignments will change as the child ages.

2. How and when should parents apply?
Applications are available and accepted year-round. You may copy the application from the web site:  http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/child/facstaff/ .Or you can e-mail moreida@berkeley.edu, or call the office at
(510) 642-1827. Early applications are advisable. Many families apply within a few months after their child's birth, or before they move to the area. Applications for infant spaces can be initiated during pregnancy, but you must contact our office after the birth to verify name, gender, and birth date for the application to remain valid. Most children who are accepted will enroll at the start of the fall semester (mid-August), but limited spaces become available throughout the year. The acceptance process begins in February for summer and fall spaces. Although early application is encouraged, you can apply at any time - sometimes very late applicants still may be accepted.

3. What ages do the UC Berkeley ECEP centers serve?
Children between 3 months and seven years old are served at UC centers. Very young infants are most likely to be accepted in the fall. See our web page http://www.housing.berkeley.edu/child/locations/ for information on the ages served at each center.

4. Is there an application fee? A deposit? What are the monthly child care fees?
The application fee is currently $30.00. Once accepted a $500.00 nonrefundable deposit is requested, but it is applied to the first month's fees. For the 2008-2009 academic year,fees for staff and faculty families are expected to be $1654 per month for care in infant rooms, $1505 per month in toddler rooms, and $1233 per month for preschool. After-school care is $5.65 per hour.

5. What is the philosophy of the program? What will my child's day be like?
The ECEP believes in building a working partnership with parents, family and the community to provide a child development program which nurtures a healthy sense of self-worth, fosters the development of skills in all
developmental domains, encourages the development of independence and promotes diverse cultural values and acceptance. We believe in providing a loving, supportive environment where well-trained, sensitive staff appreciates the uniqueness of each child. The staff strives to help the child feel empowerment over her or his life. We believe that the program should be based on sound Early Childhood Education and Child Development theory and that practices should be developmentally appropriate.

Our nationally accredited centers (National Association for the Education of Young Children) strive to provide a warm, challenging environment that attends to the emotional, physical and educational growth of each child. To this end, we provide an atmosphere of respect for the individual child, in a warm, safe and clean supervised environment. For young infants, everything is "on demand." Babies eat when they are hungry, sleep when they are tired, changed when they need diapering, and are cuddled and sung to regularly. In "wobbler" and toddler rooms, children eat together at small tables and nap at the same time. Small group singing and games begin. In toddler room a short "circle time" may take place. All children spend time outside in the play yards and/or on walks.

By preschool, dance, gymnastics, and trips into the community are added to the schedule. Still, we encourage children's natural curiosity and their eagerness for information about the world around them. Curricular activities encourage thinking and logical reasoning, mathematical awareness, problem-solving skills, imaginative play, language skills, and socialization. Physical activity is encouraged and children spend a great deal of time outside in our ample play yards.  

6. What is the adult-child ratio at the centers? What are the teacher qualifications?
ECEP staffs classrooms according to ‘best practice’ standards. Adult-child ratios at the centers range between 1:3 and 1:8 for infant through preschool rooms. Staffing averages 1:12 for the after school program. Student Assistants often supplement staffing to provide additional care.

Most teachers have a Child Development Teacher permit or higher, and an AA degree or higher. Many of the teachers have a BA, MA, or Ph.D. in addition to the permit. Teacher Assistants have at least 12 ECE units and have, or are working towards, a permit. Student assistants are enrolled at UC Berkeley and have prior experience working with children. They attend weekly staff meetings and receive in-service training throughout the year.

7. Will my child be involved in research if enrolled at UCB child care centers
Parents with children at all UCB centers should understand that their children may be observed for research or teacher training purposes, or that they may be approached regarding participation in studies or surveys.

Participation in research primarily takes place at the Harold E. Jones Child Study Center, a facility that encompasses the preschool and an early childhood development research wing. Research is administered by UCB's Institute of Human Development, while the preschool is administered by the Early Childhood Education Program. The Child Study Center's current site was built in 1960, but the preschool affiliated with IHD has been in operation since 1927. Families accepting invitations for enrollment understand that their children will be observed for research and training purposes and will participate in closely monitored research studies. All research must be approved by the UCB Committee for Protection of Human Subjects, and reviewed by our own research coordinator. Children may be observed by researchers from within the observation galleries, or may be engaged in a "game" or specific task in a quiet research room. There are strict rules to ensure that a child’s participation in research does not interrupt classroom opportunities. For example a session cannot last more than 20 minutes, a child cannot "play games" for more than 3 sessions per week, and the child can refuse participation (though most enjoy it and ask to participate or "play games").

8. Do the centers operate year round?
Four of our centers operate year round and four centers close during the summer. The ‘Year Round Centers’ (Haste Street Center, Child Study Center, Clark Kerr Infant Center, and Clark Kerr Preschool) are closed for a few days in August, and about 2 weeks between the fall and spring semesters, December - January. The centers are also closed for all UC staff holidays and 1-2 additional days per year for staff development or center clean-up.
The ‘Academic Year Centers’ (Anna Head Preschool, Infant-Toddler Center, and Girton) close between late May and late August, and are also closed for 3-4 weeks between the fall and spring semesters, December – January. The K-2 After-School Center follows the Berkeley Unified School District calendar.

9. How many children are at the centers and how many openings occur each year?
ECEP centers vary in size from only 16 children at the historic Girton Hall to more than 74 at the new Haste Street Center. Classroom size ranges from 6 to 28 children based on age of children and the physical space. Most preschool rooms have 16-25 children enrolled, while an infant room is likely to have 6-9 babies enrolled. Rooms with toddlers may vary between 8-12 children.

Although spaces can become available at any time due to vacancy, January, June, and mid-August are the most typical times for enrollment. Most spaces open for new children in August.

10. I'm a UCB staff or faculty member. What are the chances that my child will be accepted?
There are a number of factors used in prioritizing applications. Because we make every effort to balance classrooms in several ways, the acceptance process is complicated. UCB staff / faculty or student status of at least one parent is the most important factor; families with two UCB staff / faculty or student parents are a higher priority; and single UCB staff / faculty parents may be given special consideration. In addition, UCB students eligible for subsidy by the State of California Department of Education fill a significant percentage of spaces. One of the primary factors reviewed is the date of application, so applying early is important. Enrollment in ECEP infant or toddler room assures preschool acceptance, if the family maintains their UC affiliation.

11. I'm staff / faculty at LBNL (or UCOP, or UCSF; or I am a UCB post-doc or visiting scholar). What are my chances of getting into the program? What if I have no affiliation with UC?
You do have a chance, though it is likely that your child will not be accepted during the initial acceptance process and will be wait-listed. If your child is accepted, it could be May - July before you are notified about a space starting in August, or December for January, etc. If you have no UC affiliations, your child is only eligible for acceptance at the K-2 Afterschool Center. This center primarily serves children from Le Conte, Malcolm X, and Emerson Elementary Schools.

12. If my child is not accepted when I had hoped, does my application remain on a wait list? Do I have to re-apply each year?
Your application remains active and on a list until your child is age-eligible for Kindergarten - unless you tell us you are no longer interested. If you are offered a space and decline, your application will be withdrawn unless you ask that it remain on the list for a space that may become available at a later date.

We do not maintain a single wait list with waiting numbers assigned to applications. When a space becomes available, it will be for a child of a particular age, and the applications for that age range will be reviewed. The date an application is received is important.