Defend Hunter Childcare SUPPORT PARENTS’ RIGHT TO EDUCATION We are having a moment of crisis at Hunter College; after more than 25 years of educating and caring for the kids of student-parents while their mothers and fathers attend class, the Children's Learning Center is being threatened. The President of Hunter College, Jennifer Raab, has decided to cut the Hunter College Children’s Learning Center’s capacity by more than 25%. On May 19, 2009 Dean Eija Ayravainen announced the appropriation of Room 209 Hunter North from the Children’s Learning Center by the college. The closing of Room 209 reduces the number of available placements in both the pre-school and after school program. The Children’s Learning Center has the potential to provide services to faculty and staff – thus fostering an environment for all of our children that is aligned with Hunter’s stated commitment to promoting pluralism. While the rest of our society moves toward more family-friendly policies in both education and employment, The Raab Administration is proposing a step backward; the decision to cut capacity of Hunter childcare stands in sharp contrast to the expansion of childcare at other campuses within the City University of New York. The Children’s Learning Center is a vital resource of Hunter College, not only because it enables student-parents to access higher education by providing childcare on campus, but also because it provides fieldwork experience to teaching assistants that go on to become educators, social workers, speech pathologists, school psychologists, nurses and family therapists. Because student-parents have a deep appreciation for the value of discovery, the Center has been a critical source of willing research participants that have helped to advance research and study across a wide array of disciplines at Hunter College. The Children's Learning Center increases diversity on campus by welcoming learners at all life-stages. The Hunter administration and President Raab need to renew their commitment to the school’s statement, "Hunter is an urban leader in educating a diverse student body. Hunter also maintains distinct leadership in educating women, providing educational opportunities for minorities, and conducting advanced research and study in disciplines across the academic spectrum." We the undersigned urge President Raab and the rest of the Hunter administration to: 1. Halt the shutdown Room 209 from the Children's Learning Center at Hunter College. 2. Promote the service of childcare on campus. 3. Approve open enrollment to faculty and staff.