The college is facing many extreme challenges that require us to rigorously examine and realign our allocation of resources and space to most effectively serve the greatest number of students.

The area currently occupied by childcare serves approximately 68 student parents per quarter. Staff and faculty also enroll their children when space is available.

The college has subsidized the operation of the childcare center by providing heat, electricity, water, maintenance, janitorial support and security. Parents have paid a reasonable hourly market rate; however, this hasn't provided sufficient revenue to support the childcare center's payroll and expenses. An additional $182,000 in Student Service and Activity fees has been allocated annually to support those costs. This subsidy represents an annual expenditure of more than $2,600 per student parent.

Replacing expensive on-site childcare with a need-based voucher system will enable the college to assist student parents with their childcare costs, wherever those costs are incurred. This will also allow funds to be stretched to benefit many more student parents.

During the summer, the South Annex building, currently housing the International Education Programs, was declared unsafe and in critical need of major repairs. The State General Administration has informed us of the need to come up with an emergency relocation plan or risk having the South Annex completely shutdown. This would result in displacing a program that supports over 1,200 students from all over the world, in addition to providing programming for local students to study, volunteer and intern abroad.

In a college wide space needs analysis conducted by Paulien & Associates in 2011, it was noted that the college has inadequate instructional space. This study indicated that the college was currently in a deficit of 31,244 square feet. However, this space analysis occurred prior to the South Annex being condemned. Thus, with the sudden loss of the South Annex, the college now has a nearly 40,000 square feet deficit. Seattle Central is facing an emergency situation to reassign college spaces. The current inhabitants (program staff/faculty/classrooms with students) must be removed from the South Annex and relocated. Although the current occupants of the South Annex is International Education Programs, the situation would be unchanged if the occupants were Dental Hygiene, Math and Science or another program. In this case, International Education Programs has been impacted by the condemnation.

The childcare area has approximately the same square footage (~9,000 sq ft) currently required to house the 60+ International Programs faculty, staff, and support services. Due to its current open-space design, the childcare area could quickly be converted to accommodate the faculty/staff offices with minimal design costs.

Student parents with children currently enrolled in campus childcare will need to find childcare services off campus. We have negotiated a delay in the South Annex relocation schedule to provide a three-month notice, allowing time for parents to transition to other childcare services.

A need-based pilot program has been designed which will provide vouchers to assist parents with childcare costs in licensed childcare facilities for winter and spring quarters. Applications are due by December 5, 2011 for winter quarter grants.

Division of Student Life and Engagement for childcare assistance grant applications, due by November 15, 2011.

Women's Programs (Fine Arts Bldg.) for advice and information about childcare locations and financial assistance.

Seattle Central Foundation for merit and need-based scholarships.

Division Counselors (all Divisions)) for strategic and personal counseling.