SUNY Sullivan receiving $1M for child care center

The State University of New York is putting $7.6 million into expanding the child care facilities it has in place at six of its campuses, including SUNY Sullivan, which is located in Loch Sheldrake. SUNY Sullivan was founded in 1962 as a community college and operates on a campus of more than 400 acres.

SUNY Sullivan has been awarded $1 million in state funding for the child care center expansion.

Part of the current SUNY Sullivan child care facility.

The center is operated in partnership with the Healthy Kids Early Child Learning Program, which has eight locations in the Hudson Valley, including at the college in Sullivan County. SUNY Sullivan”™s on-campus child care center provides students, employees, and community members with a preschool child care program for children ages three to five during on-campus class hours. The state funding will support renovations to the physical facility that will allow the college to expand the program to infants and toddlers.

“These funds will allow us to fill a much-needed gap in Sullivan County and ensure that more parents are able to attend college, obtain degrees and expand their employment opportunities,” said SUNY Sullivan President Jay Quaintance “Being able to provide access to infants and toddlers is a great step forward and also has the potential to allow us to expand educational opportunities for our students in our early childhood education programs.”

The campuses that will benefit from the $7.6 million include Alfred State, SUNY Canton, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Jamestown Community College, SUNY Old Westbury and SUNY Sullivan.

Debora F. Stanley, SUNY”™s interim chancellor, said, “The expansion of child care is critical for many students and faculty alike.”

SUNY Sullivan and Healthy Kids make slots for children to attend the childcare program available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $75 registration fee per child with a maximum of $150 per family. The monthly tuition for eight hours of childcare Monday through Friday is $867 per month. Eight hours a day for two days a week is $347 per month. Families with limited income can apply for state financial assistance with child care costs.