The cheerful giggles that once rang through the hall and happy faces of the children that were cared for at the Child and Family Center located at the Downtown Campus on 211 N. Carroll Street will be missed this semester.

Due to dwindling enrollment the daycare service has been temporarily suspended. There were only five families who wished to enroll their children for the fall term. Only two of them needed full time care and only one was a student at Madison College. Due to changing demographics and an improved economy there are more 18-20-year-old students enrolling, therefore there is less need for daycare for children of preschool age, according to an email that announced the change.

All five families have opted to have their children attend the Truax campus branch of the Child and Family Center because of their preference for the Madison College program. However, Child Care Director Donna Jost shared that the Center may reopen in the future due to the potential of increased enrollment. Child and Family Center has applied for a federal grant, which is now pending and may help support that future enrollment.

The Child and Family Center strives to help families find and feel comfortable with affordable care for their young children, Jost said. The center is city accredited, which means the center has met and surpassed higher standards of quality than non-credited programs. The childcare center also works closely with the Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Program offered at Madison College. Jost said that this ensures a much better adult to child ratio, which offers extra individual attention and support to the youngsters. This includes all the current substitute care givers. A sliding fee scale based on family income is also offered.

Deb Diller, librarian at the Downtown Campus, has many cherished mementos of the children who have come to visit the library, including little thank you notes and a flier from last year’s Child and Family Center Art Exhibit. She said she has enjoyed seeing children waving to her as they passed by the library on their way outside to romp on playground or just on walks through the building. Diller also recalled scavenger hunts that took the children on quests for treasures and the yearly Halloween celebration. She said imaginative costumes were always delightful to see as the children paraded through the halls entering various offices on their trick or treat quests every year. Diller said she regards the closing of the Downtown child care center as “the end of an era.”

Nedra Bobo, an administrative planner at the Downtown Campus, also had some special memories to share. Again, the Halloween festivities came up and Bobo recalled with a smile the little parades through the hallways so the kids could show off their costumes. The little juice boxes wrapped like mummies with googly eyes attached brought a laugh. She too got waves from the children as they passed by her door on their way to one of their adventures whether on the playground or on a fun-filled field trip.

For those who are seeking child care this fall, the opening date for the Truax location is Aug. 28. The hours of operation are 7:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on weekdays. The phone number is 608-246-6766. You can find more details online at https://madisoncollege.edu/child-care.

A resource for any family who is seeking an alternative child care situation can be found at the Community Coordinated Child Care Resource and Referral Agency by using the following link: https://www.4-c.org//resource-referral/resource-referral.html.