New CSUSM day-care center opens to rave reviews

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Wednesday, September 5, 2007 1:01 AM PDT ∞

SAN MARCOS -- Twenty-six youngsters played games, made art and improved their language skills Tuesday on opening day of the new Cal State San Marcos day-care center, which is getting rave reviews from parents and university officials.

The 21,000-square-foot facility has 11 classrooms for children from age 1 to pre-kindergarten, one room for infants, three outdoor play areas, a special room for nursing mothers and a parent resource center. Multiple cameras have been installed in each classroom so parents can observe their children from any computer that has an Internet connection.

"This facility is so beautiful and has so many great features," said Cathy Nguyen, a health care worker at the university who brought her two children to the center Tuesday. "I had heard about this facility for so long that it's nice to see it actually open."

Despite nearly unanimous rave reviews from people who have toured the new $7.7 million facility, first-day enrollment was less than 15 percent of the 184 youngsters the facility can serve.

University officials said they were disappointed with first-day enrollment, but they also said the number of children is expected to slowly and steadily climb during the next few months thanks to word-of-mouth and a marketing campaign.

"It was maybe a little less than I hoped for, but probably not less than we should have expected," said Marti Gray, executive director of the university foundation, which oversees the facility.

One factor in the low turnout could be the fees, which are roughly double the prices charged at an off-campus day-care facility on Twin Oaks Valley Road that the new center is replacing.

When prices for the new center were announced in July, some university students complained they would have to seek child care elsewhere. That prompted the university to increase the student discount from 10 percent to 30 percent, but officials said students make up less than half the parents who have enrolled so far at the new facility.

Depending on the age of the child, all-day service for two days a week ranges from $126 to $171 per week at the new center for parents with no university affiliation. With the 30 percent discount, students would pay somewhere between $88 and $120 per week. Fees at the off-campus facility were between $46 and $60 for all-day service two days per week.

Nguyen said she empathizes with the students about the higher prices, but said the higher fees seem appropriate because the new center is far more elaborate.

"It's a lot of money, but so far I think it's worth it," said Nguyen, who spent an hour Tuesday morning observing one of her children playing through a special two-way mirror that each classroom features. "And it's so convenient for students and people working at the university, because it's right here."

Michele Petracca, who is completing a master's degree in psychology at the university, said the student discount has made the center more affordable for her.

"When I did some comparisons of other places, the prices are slightly higher here, but nothing significant," said Petracca, whose infant Dominic will be 6 months old Friday.

Petracca said one of the new center's most appealing amenities is the special nursing room, which provides privacy and comfort to women who want to breast-feed their children at the center.

"It's got nice, comfy rockers, and it makes me feel relaxed when I'm nursing," said Petracca, who used the room multiple times on Tuesday. "I'm really excited about this place."

It is extremely rare for day-care centers to have a special room for nursing mothers, according to Francesca Gallozzi, director of the new center.

"I would say this is the Rolls-Royce of day-care centers," said Gallozzi. "When you consider all it has to offer, I would say it is unmatched."

-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.