The Sacramento State Associated Students Inc. Children’s Center faces the possibility of severe cuts should Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget be passed in the November ballot.

The cuts the Children’s Center faces could not only be detrimental to the Sac State families who rely on the center’s services for child care, but also the approximately 100 student employees who work at the center each semester.

“These cuts will be painful, requiring sacrifice from every sector of the state, but we have no choice,” Brown said in a press release. “For 10 years, we’ve had budget gimmicks and tricks that pushed us deep into debt. We must now return California to fiscal responsibility and get our state on the road to economic recovery and job growth.”

The Children’s Center is a valuable asset to part of the services offered and supported by ASI. A great deal of funding and most of the center’s support come from ASI itself, but a large portion of the budget comes from government subsidies. This funding supports families from lower income households in need of child care. It allows students who would otherwise be unable to afford child care and tuition as well as manage being a student to stay enrolled.

Having the opportunity to attend school, obtain a degree and have their children provided with a safe and educational environment to stay in while the student attends class is a priceless asset to student-parents. Cutting this funding would be a painful blow to Sac State’s community.

“About half of the families participating in the program are through the subsidy program,” said ASI Children’s Center Director Denise Wessels. “The subsidy funding we receive is about one-third of our total annual budget, so without that funding it will be a challenge to maintain the center in the same way that it is being maintained now.”

Cuts this large to programs so instrumental in a student parent’s ability to attend school or maintain a job on campus are becoming a frightful reality. It is clear cuts need to be made, however, education should remain a priority in the state Legislation and programs like the Children’s Center are indispensable, to higher education.

Massive cuts to the Children’s Center mean student parents would have to find child care elsewhere which is a major expense in any home, let alone a home also facing tuition raises, and other expenses.

“I think it will be very difficult for the low income student families to find a way to pay for child care so that they can maintain there studies,” Wessels said. “I think that it could mean for some families whether or not they can stay in school. I think it’s tragic that we would take away this funding, because for some families, it may be the last year of their degree where they’ve invested all this time in obtaining a degree and then to not be able to finish. I just think that’s so sad.”

In a letter to Brown, Valerie Plevney, parent, alumna and graduate student of Sac State, expressed her disappointment in the proposed budget and the effects it would have on low-income families.

“Children’s centers in higher education settings are serving the very families who will soon graduate with degrees, which will allow them to attain their goal of supporting their family, enter the workforce and contribute in a positive way to the recovery of California’s economy,” Plevney wrote.

Cuts to child care on campus mean several student parents would face the reality of dropping out all together.

“When we realized your proposed 2012-13 budget released this Jan. includes many changes to the system that would fundamentally eliminate this (subsidy’s) childcare program, we were devastated,” Plevney wrote. “We don’t know if we could have accomplished all that we have without the support of the ASI’s (Children’s Center). We started to feel sad for families that would never be able to access the program, childcare and support.”

In addition to providing child care, allowing student parents to attend class and a nationally accredited program for children to be involved in, the center also provides child care experience for Sac State students. Should the proposed cuts be made, the center could be forced to downsize considerably, and this means cutting student jobs. The number of currently employed students would most likely have their hours reduced if these cuts were to be made.

Cuts of this magnitude to programs providing opportunities for families to lift themselves out of needing public assistance programs and become self-sufficient are beyond sad. Brown should consider the ripple effect these cuts would have on the economy’s future.

 

The Editorial Staff can be reached at [email protected]