Attention caregivers of toddlers and preschoolers: Ohio Northern University is now registering children for the Fall 2022 semester, when it will debut its 4,000-square-foot campus childcare facility with enhanced services.
The renamed Early Child Development Center will replace the smaller center (formerly named the Child Development Center) on Union Street that has operated there since 1987.
Director June Zimmerman states, “This new facility has been a dream for our ONU and Ada community for several years and we are so excited to see it come to fruition while continuing to offer high quality early learning experiences to the children in this area.”
The new facility, being built across the street from the existing center, will better accommodate care and learning experiences for children ages infant, toddler, and preschool age, while offering an open floor plan for each classroom and outdoor play. Administrators intend to maintain the five-star Step Up To Quality rating issued by the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Additionally, ONU students, particularly education and psychology majors, along with work-study participants, will continue to benefit from the center’s high-impact learning experiences.
The childcare program has existed at ONU since 1975. Regional childcare demand and structural considerations served as primary drivers for new facility construction, according to administrators.
Beginning in the fall, the Early Child Development Center will serve children from ages 18 months to five years old; administrators hope to welcome infants as early as 2023. Beginning Aug. 15, the Academy will operate in the new building 48 weeks out of the year.
Registration will take place in phases, with March 28 – April 10 designated for those interested in full-time care five days per week, and from April 4 for those interested in part-time care; full-time registration will still be offered after April 3 if spaces remain.
Tuition for toddlers will be $35 per day full time (which equates to 4.5 hours or more per day), and $23 per day for those attending part time. Tuition for preschoolers will be $32 per day for full time enrollment and $20 per day for part time. Preschool daily tuition includes the preschool curriculum. There is a $50 per child registration fee.
Caregivers will need to pack lunches this fall. Administrators plan to eventually offer a hot lunch option.
To pick up enrollment information and to register, parents and guardians must contact Zimmerman at 419-772-2141 or email her at p-zimmerman@onu.edu for an in-person appointment.