After last semester’s debate about the University’s child care services, administrators will conduct an online survey starting today and create focus groups to gauge the community’s child care needs.

Faculty, staff and students were informed of an online survey concerning campus child care, according to a news release issued Monday by Arnett Mace, University provost.

An e-mail will be sent today with a link to the survey, and everyone in the University community, regardless of child care needs, is encouraged to participate, according to the news release.

The survey can be completed until Jan. 22, said Donald Bower, head of the child and family development department.

The focus groups, which will be held Jan. 15 and 16, will include faculty, staff and students who volunteered or were recommended, Mace said Tuesday in a telephone interview.

After the survey and focus groups are completed, WFD Consulting, a paid firm, will observe child care services in the area and offer suggestions to the University, Mace said.

A child care committee appointed by Mace will review the results and provide input, Bower said.

The Child Development Lab of the McPhaul Child and Family Development Center, the only child care facility on campus, offers services for 100 children, with 56 tuition-based and 44 state and federally funded spots, said Amy Kay, director for the

Child Development Lab, Wednesday in a telephone interview.

Kay said the waiting list includes 230 people vying for the 56 tuition-based spots, and the waiting time lasts one to three years. Based on space availability, there is no guarantee of a spot.

Priority for admission is given first to siblings of children enrolled in the program, then to children affiliated with the University and, finally, the general public, Kay said.

Bower, a member of the child care committee, said feedback from the University community was important. He said there are three criteria many people review when choosing a child care facility.

“In the discussions I have been in, people are interested in quality care, care that is near campus and whether [the child care] is affordable,” Bower said.

Kay said the main concern about the program was the wait time.

“The biggest complaint I’ve heard from some is that it’s so convenient and high quality, but there’s no space available.”

Despite recent debate, the Child Development Lab received the Georgia Association on Young Children’s award for Program of the Year in October 2007.

Kay said factors such as low child-to-staff ratios and teacher-training requirements enhance the program, and the research component makes the facility stand out.

“The lab school component and its connection to the University . is not replicable in the general community,” Kay said.

As for any future services in the Child Development Lab, Kay said, “I’m always open to ideas and suggestions. Whatever is demonstrated as a need, I would definitely entertain a conversation about it. I will continue to make myself available for information and guidance about [the lab].”