NEWS

NEWBERRY — Affordable, high-quality childcare centers are in high demand in South Carolina. With the Newberry YMCA planning to build a new center in the next year, Newberry College teacher education students can gain experience toward their degrees while alleviating a shortage in the community.

“The first years of a child’s life are vitally important to brain development, present and future health, along with the ability to learn and overall success in life,” said Dr. Susan Fernandez, dean of education at Newberry College. “Our students have opportunities to interact with children in educational settings throughout their years at Newberry. We jumped at the chance to participate in this win-win partnership.”

Students majoring in education, children & community, early childhood education (prekindergarten through third grade), and special education (pre-K through 12th grade) will be able to complete field experience requirements through the YMCA program.

“Newberry students will be supporting their community, helping young children, and growing as professionals,” Fernandez added.

According to the National Institute of Children's Health, 15% of young children in South Carolina belong to families in which someone quit, changed or refused a job because of not having child care.

Aslynn Halvorson-Weaver, assistant professor of exercise science and human performance at the college, welcomed her first child in April and, like many parents, saw the childcare shortage firsthand.

“Calling 27 daycares and having them all be full, and being on four separate years-long waitlists will stress you out to no end, so I'm happy to hear the YMCA and Newberry College are doing something to alleviate some of the burden,” she said.

The new center plans to accommodate up to 70 local children and to stand potentially near one of the county’s industrial parks. The facility will accept children up to five years old and cost between $100 and $130 per week, depending on the child’s age.

“The Child Development Center will provide the community with many more resources than simply being a daycare,” said Scott Sandor, CEO of the Newberry YMCA. “One of our goals is to use this facility with input from local industry, so that we may better meet their needs and the needs of their employees. The partnership with Newberry College can provide a system for the early childhood education majors to gain real-time learning opportunities while helping us deliver a high-quality experience for the families that we serve.”

Edit: The Early Childcare Management major has been renamed Education, Children & Community. Edited: April 1, 2024.