Aizley Ross-Denny sits with her mother, freshman criminal justice major Shawnie Tollefson. Many student parents at Appalachian struggle to find balance between being a full-time student and parent. Photo by Madelyn Rindal | The Appalachian

The Appalachian Child Development Center (CDC) only offers services to students, faculty and staff of the university. Thirty-four of its 68 spots are reserved for the children of faculty and staff, and the rest for the children of students.

But right now, there are 67 students on the waiting list for the center.

Graphic by Taylor Quartararo | The Appalachian

“She totally would have been up here with me if I’d been able to get into daycare,” Tollefson said.

For students who manage to get off the waiting list, affordable on-campus childcare can make all the difference.

That was the case for sophomore criminal justice major Cashae Baker, who was just three weeks into her freshman year when she found out she was pregnant with her son Landon, now three.

“I thought about taking a semester off, but in the end I decided not to,” Baker said. “I wanted to graduate on time so I could give my kids a better future.”

Baker now has two children, and both attend the CDC. She said it would be impossible to be a student parent without it.

“The daycare has just been a huge advantage,” she said.

CDC Director Peggy Eller said student parents who can’t find a daycare often have to take time off school. In-home childcare is simply too expensive.

“Parents are between a rock and a hard place,” she said. “But I always tell them to enjoy the time with the baby while they can. School will still be here when they get back.”

Only two of the 10 childcare facilities in Watauga County are equipped to handle infants. The CDC is one of them - another reason demand for the center is so high.

Still, Eller doesn’t plan to expand the center any time soon.

“I don’t want this to become a warehouse for kids,” she said. “I want this to be a family-friendly environment and having smaller numbers allows me to get to know the kids and their parents.”

Story: ANNE BUIE, Senior News Reporter
Photo: MADELYN RINDAL, Photographer
Graphic: TAYLOR QUARTARARO, Web Graphic Designer