In response to the needs expressed by members of its workforce, Johns Hopkins University is moving forward with plans to open a child care center on the Homewood campus in fall 2015.
A temporary structure will be built on the Stony Run parking lot at the corner of Wyman Park Drive and Remington Avenue, along the southwestern edge of campus. The parking lot will be closed starting in early October, when construction will begin. Employees who currently park their vehicles there will be contacted individually with information about equivalently priced parking alternatives.
The modular, one-level building will be used until the university is able to design and construct a permanent facility at the northeast corner of campus.
The announcement was made to faculty and staff on Monday in a broadcast email sent by Robert Lieberman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Ed Schlesinger, dean of the Whiting School of Engineering; Beverly Wendland, interim dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences; and Daniel G. Ennis, senior vice president for finance and administration.
"As our employees balance career pursuits and family life, child care looms as a critical issue," they wrote.
The center will care for children ranging in age from 10 weeks through 5 years. The university has selected Downtown Baltimore Child Care Inc. (DBCC) to run the center. A local and longtime child care leader, DBCC was chosen after an extensive review process that took into account high staff-to-child ratios and strong staff credentials—factors that early-childhood researchers emphasize are part of high-quality programs.
The administrators wrote that this project began in earnest in 2010, with an exploratory process that included input from many members of the JHU community, including extensive consultation with faculty and staff members. Information about that process is available at http://hopkinsworklife.org/child-care-centers.
Development will begin with removal of the parking surface, followed by renovation and mitigation of the site. Routine testing indicated old petroleum contamination in spots, believed to be present in the soil brought in decades ago to fill the site. Contamination across the entire site will be remediated to ensure the project exceeds applicable state safety standards.
Tuition rates and information about the application and enrollment process will be coming soon. In the meantime, employees should direct questions to the Office of Work, Life, and Engagement at worklife@jhu.edu or 443-997-7000.
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