Office of Child Care and Family Resources

Welcome!

From the Director of the Office of Child Care and Family Resources

Dear Families,

We hope that you’ve enjoyed a fantastic summer full of family, friends, and fun! I can’t believe that a new academic year is upon us. The energy and enthusiasm of the fall semester are in the air.

It has been over two years since we held our Lil’ Badger Bash and Backpack Giveaway in person. We missed welcoming student families to our campus. Never again will we take for granted the opportunity to gather in person. Sixty families attended this event. In addition to backpacks, we catered a burrito dinner and coordinated fun activities such as face painting, a photo booth, and a sidewalk chalk art contest. I always look forward to seeing the excitement on children’s faces as they carefully pick out their backpack. As a child, it is something magical to discover colorful pencils, markers, notebooks, and other school supplies. Families were also able to intermingle and to meet OCCFR team members. A positive and encouraging beginning makes such a huge difference for campus families. We want student parents to know that they belong here.

We are also excited to offer other family support programs and resources for parenting students. In August, we started the UW Student Parent Coffee and Connections where student parents share the joys and difficulties of parenting while in pursuit of degree completion. Dr. Laura Froyen continues to add programming excellence to our activity roster. She is our resident expert in research-based parenting strategies. Her topics include: a lunch and learn; one-on-one consultations; respectful parenting 101; and an infant development play group.

UW-Madison campus and network childcare centers are dedicated to offering the highest quality care and education for UW families. To this end, they have been undergoing their national accreditation process, which is a time consuming and rigorous task. We are proud to announce that Eagle’s Wing, Little Chicks, and Waisman Early Childhood Program successfully completed their reaccreditation. The Child Development Lab and Bernie’s Place are not far behind in their reaccreditation. Eagle’s Wing has also been selected as an all-day 4K pilot site by the Madison School District. In spite of the challenges of these difficult times, there is still a lot to celebrate. We remain hopeful for brighter days ahead.

My best wishes to all of you for a successful, fulfilling, safe, and healthy school year!

Cigdem