Maintain the integrity of Pre-K education

Dr. Countryman, Dr. Davidson, Dean Watson, Provost Gibson,

I also ask for your support to maintain the integrity of Pre-K education at Northern University: Iowa's Research & Development School.

My husband, Steven Briggs, and I were informed on Friday afternoon that our two daughters will no longer be able to attend the UNI Child Development Center. I have read and agree with everything included in the email sent from Robin Galloway, and would like to add our story for your consideration. In the summer of 2008, we moved to Cedar Falls from Rochester, MN, where I was working as a physician at Mayo Clinic, in order for my husband to assume his position as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology. After thoroughly researching and touring many childcare centers in the area, we were delighted to enroll our daughters at the CDC. This was not without great hesitation, as we had been lucky enough to keep our 18-month-old daughter at home with us until that time. Katherine has thrived at the CDC, and is outperforming most of the standards for her age at the center. We have also been delighted with the quality of care for our one-year-old daughter, Ingrid.

By no longer allowing faculty and staff positions at the CDC, you are jeopardizing the experiences of the UNI students that you strive to protect. For example, just between Steven and myself - he serves as a professor whose classes of 35 students fill immediately, a student adviser to 35 students, a faculty advisor to the Association of Criminology Students, and is active in research and grant writing. We are talking about our options if we do lose our places at the CDC. We question whether he would continue to work, or would stay home with the girls if we cannot find equivalent high-quality childcare. This would make quite an impact on his department, as they already have a problem providing adequate class offerings to their students. Criminology is a large major which is a big draw to enrollment for the university, they are already overstretched, and with the hiring freeze, they would be hugely impacted if he was to leave. His department has also been advised as part of their recent Academic Program Review that they need to improve faculty retention. I am a primary care physician, and I care for dozens of UNI faculty, students, and staff. I also serve as a preceptor for medical students, and my current student is a UNI graduate. I also am considering leaving my position to change to a nighttime hospitalist position at a hospital outside of Cedar Falls in order to stay home with the girls if we could not find alternative, high quality childcare.

Our story is only one many similar stories of talented, committed, and passionate individuals who all contribute to the university and the community. The CDC has allowed us to give our best effort to our jobs without any insecurity or worry about how our children are doing, as we know that they are learning, loved, and nurtured. Please reconsider your decisions regarding the UNI Child Development Center. We also ask that you address concerns of the parents and staff of the CDC in a transparent and timely manner, as many of us feel that these decisions have been made quickly and without adequate outside input or consideration of the impact they will have.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Jill M. Briggs, MD

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare

briggs.jm@hotmail.com