What happened to the childcare center on campus?

By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter

There is a part of LCC history that not many students know about. Near the corner of N Grand Avenue and W Saginaw Street, is an empty building with an interesting history that sits on LCC’S Downtown Campus. This now unmarked building used to be The Early LCC building.

The Early Learning Children's Community, a childcare center more commonly known as Early LCC or ELCC, opened August 19, 2010, and closed in March 2020 during COVID-19. The center has since not been reopened.

According to a statement from the administration, "Lansing Community College closed all campuses and buildings, including the Early LCC, on March 18, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Executive Orders issued by the State of MI. LCC was not and is not a licensed child care provider. The most recent on-site licensed provider lease agreement ended in June of 2020 during the pandemic.”

The building still remains dormant with new plans for the building underway. According to the Campus Master Plan for the years of 2025-2035 the building is going to be repurposed to house Financial Services and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The Small Business Development Center is currently located at 309 North Washington Square Suite 115 off of campus. Moving the building onto campus would be great for students, as it would allow for students to be able to not have to go off of campus to access the building. The reason for the move into this building is because of the convenient parking.

Alexis Preston, a student parent on campus wishes the childcare center was still open, “It would be amazing if LCC offered childcare!” Preston said. “It would help me so whenever I am at school, I can drop my kid off. I don’t have to worry about making special arrangements. I would definitely take advantage of it if it was an option regardless if I had to pay for it.”

Heidi Jordan, a laboratory instructor for the Child Development and Early Education Department at LCC recalled, “I do not know all of the details that lead to the closing of Early LCC but it closed around the time of the COVID-19 lockdown,” Jordan said. “That time was challenging for many early childhood programs to stay open. Operating child care centers is not easy, and not a business that generates a lot of revenue. I am sure the college, and the management company whom ran the day-to-day operations faced many challenging decisions at that time.”

Ashlee Podleski is the Adult Resource Center Coordinator at LCC, however, she doesn’t recall much about the center as it was closed prior to her becoming the coordinator. But she did share students sometimes reach out asking if LCC still houses the center on campus, “The number isn’t super big, but there are a few each year,” Podleski said. “Most of our students already have daycare lined up before applying for the Child Care Grant here at LCC. However, if they are looking for one, we send them information to Great Start to Quality. This website allows students to research different providers in the area.”

The Child Care Grant is one of the resources currently provided for student parents at LCC. This grant provides financial assistance for daycare expenses incurred by LCC student parents while attending LCC.

Not only did the former child care center help to care and provide education for LCC student’s kids, but it also offered educational opportunities for those going into childcare here at LCC. The center allowed for students to complete their designated four labs that are required for their course. The labs are to ensure that students get at least four experiences in an early childhood program. Having a field site on campus allowed for students to sign up for their hours at a more convenient location. The center also helped to create new student job opportunities on campus such as a Food Aide or Classroom Aide.

The Child Development and Early Education program at LCC has not suffered due to the closing, “Of course that convenience is missed. At one time, Early LCC was an extremely high-quality program that benefitted the entire Lansing community. Early LCC served the children and families of community members, LCC faculty and staff, and LCC students,” Jordan said. “However, the closing of Early LCC forced the CHDV program to re-envision our field experience model for students, and our partnerships with early childhood education programs in the greater Lansing area has become stronger because of it. The Child Development and Early Education program, and other programs who used Early LCC, have not missed a beat in providing LCC students high-quality educational experiences now that Early LCC has closed.”