Dear all,

My name is Orianne Smith and I am the Chair of English and the Chair of Faculty Affairs. I'm reaching out to those of you who are thinking about starting a family or those of you who already have young children. I'm also reaching out to others who are invested in creating and sustaining a family-friendly environment at UMBC.

As many of us know, the Y UMBC childcare facility opened its doors again this fall. I can attest that the Y UMBC is a wonderful option to consider for children ages 2-4: my daughter attended several years ago until the facility closed because of mold issues. The Y UMBC worked perfectly for me back then because I asked for--and was given--a flexible part-time schedule of T-W-Th. Unfortunately, this flexibility is no longer an option at the new facility. The Y has made a change in policy that prevents faculty members from choosing a schedule that works best for them and their families.  Currently, the facility will only consider a M-W-F schedule or a T-Th schedule. This does not address the needs of most faculty who do not have a five day a week, 9 - 5 schedule.  I would say the same would be true for students.  

In my capacity as Chair of Faculty Affairs I met with Valerie Thomas this week to discuss this issue. She said that the Y might consider going back to allowing UMBC parents to choose a schedule that suits their needs if there is enough interest.  

Please contact HR at 410-455-6830 or via email at preschool@umbc.edu if you are personally interested in a flexible part-time schedule for childcare or if you simply want to support this opportunity for our UMBC community.  If you are considering the Y for your child then let them know your preferred schedule and preferred start date.

Thanks,

Orianne