Bringing up baby at CSULB

They're not showing up to general education classes with high chairs, but in one program at Cal State Long Beach, the students are now noticeably younger than ever.

How young are they?

Between 6 months and 2 1/2-years-old.

Where is this occuring? At the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center, the ne w on-campus home of the Infant Toddler Program, which began Sept. 6.

Now, parents who are enrolled at the university can drop off their children and run off to class, secure in knowing that their infants are being fed, nurtured and even educated, s aid Jana Abad, coordinator of the program.

"This allows student-parents to resume their education sooner," Abad said. "Most of the time they had to wait and go to school a little bit later (in the their lives)."

Recently relocated from a nearby church into its own building, the program is being integrated into the center's day-care and developmental curriculum, which extends through the second grade. The center's capacity is now 158 children, including up to 28 in the new program. The cente r can serve 250 kids during a semester with staggered scheduling.

Inside the new building, located near the corner of Bellflower Boulevard and Atherton Street, 16 student teachers work in a specially designed, five-room facility complete with state -of-the-art diaper chutes, motion-sensor faucets and water purifiers. This is quite a change from the converted Sunday school rooms that were used since 1986, Abad said.

"This whole building was designed from the ground up just for infants and tod dlers," she said.

As soon as center officials locate money to build an adjacent playground, the building's construction cost will total $500,000: $300,000 from state construction funds, $100,000 from CSULB alumna Isabel Patterson and $100,000 from other donors.

The center's operating budget is paid for with Associated Students Inc. money, state educational grants and parent fees. To enroll their children in the infant-toddler program five days a week, parents pay between $120 and $130.

I nstead of paying by the week, parents can instead choose to pay for individual, four-hour morning or afternoon sessions, which each cost between $13 and $14, said Pam MacDonald, director of the Child Development Center.

"Each parent can schedule ( their children) for what they need, as long as we have the space," MacDonald said. While their parents are away in class, infants and toddlers are doing their share of learning too, Abad said.

"It's more of a social setting than anything else right now," she said. "They're learning independence, self-help skills and social skills."