WWU expands on-campus child care capacity for student parents and university staff
Western Washington University is expanding its child care and education opportunities for children of student parents and the University’s working professionals.
WWU’s Child Development Center (CDC) will add 28 available child care spots at a given time, an increase in capacity by almost 50 percent — from 59 to 87 children — with the installation of a new modular building on campus.
The total number of children receiving care is expected to be close to 100, however, because the Center offers both full-time and part-time care, according to Office of Student Affairs Financial & Capital Resources Division Director Linda Beckman.
“The CDC has not expanded its capacity since its inception 50 years ago and for years, has had a long waiting list ranging from 60 to 150 potential students or more at any point in time. The situation has become critical for faculty/staff/student recruitment and retention,” Beckman said in a statement to The Herald.
Washington ranks as the 11th least affordable state for child care, according to a statewide study published in 2024. The study showed that about 63% of Washington residents live in a “child care desert” where there are more than three children under age 5 for every licensed child care slot.
The state’s child care crisis resulted in a $6 billion loss to the state’s overall economy in 2023, according to the study.
A 2021 WWU Child Care Demand Study forecast that Whatcom County would need to increase its age 0-5 child care capacity by 5,817 and its school-age capacity by 6,252 by 2025 to meet the predicted total demand in the local region.
“An expanded CDC facility with additional childcare slots will enable more low-income parents to obtain high-quality childcare and better access to available state and federal childcare subsidies. In addition, these subsidies could aid in establishing a tuition scale that will benefit Western’s ALICE families (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed),“ Beckman said.
The install is underway directly next to the CDC’s current operations after the project received construction permit approval from the city of Bellingham in late February. The new modular building will provide two additional classrooms and share the program’s current playground and kitchen facilities, according to Beckman.
The program currently serves children ages 2 to 5 years old. The new building will expand services to children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old, Beckman told The Herald.
“This younger toddler age is the most critical current need,” Beckman said.
The majority of the project is being funded with local, state and federal grants totaling close to $800,000. It includes American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds distributed from Whatcom County Health and Community Services, ARPA funds administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development and allocated by Congress, as well as local funds awarded by Opportunity Council.
Work on the new project is expected to be complete sometime this spring or early summer.
