CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE : Students to Vote on Child Center

By LIORA FORMAN

March 17, 1991 12 AM PT

The fate of the Cal State Northridge Children’s Center will be decided next week in a referendum, which if passed by the student body, would increase student fees by $5.

Money generated from the fees would be used to construct a new child-care facility within the next five years.

Voting will take place Tuesday and Wednesday. There has been no organized opposition to the proposal.

The current Children’s Center, located in a renovated church, has provided child care for CSUN students and faculty since 1973, said Arlene Rhine, director.

It is in such disrepair that it would probably be unable to meet licensing requirements if it were not already licensed, she said.

The center serves more than 200 families a year but has not kept pace with student enrollment, which has increased from 24,528 to 31,000 since it opened. Rhine said the facility is needed by 20% of the student population but has space for only 1%.

“At the center, we provide child care around the parents’ schedule. We work with the parents,” Rhine said.

Payment care is based on a sliding scale determined by the parents’ income. The state Department of Education subsidizes 40% of the fees.

Funds that the referendum would generate are badly needed, said Robin Weitzen, a single parent and chairwoman of the center’s Parent Group.

“My family has benefited so completely from the Children’s Center. I wouldn’t have gone this far without them. The center has really enriched our life,” said Weitzen, a senior who will graduate in May with honors in English.

Weitzen has been taking advantage of the center’s services for two years.

“All children deserve good child care, and it’s everyone’s responsibility,” said Edie Gline, 27, a senior majoring in health science who supports the referendum. “Without good care, it’s hopeless for them; they need a good start.”

The $5 fee increase averages 6 cents a day per student, less than the cost of a pizza, according to Rhine.

The increase would not be collected until next spring.