Mud pies, plastic dinosaurs and finger-painted macaroni will soon be replaced by swivel chairs and office supplies at UCSD’s cramped yet cozy International Center.
After nearly 50 years of operation, the International Cooperative’ Nursery School was shut down by UCSD administrators on Feb. 27 due to overcrowding at the International Center. Located conveniently at the center of campus, the nursery school offered flexible hours ‘mdash; and an alternative curriculum that emphasized multiculturalism ‘mdash; to the young children of staff, faculty and students.
The administration plans to convert the space previously occupied by the nursery school into new offices for International Center activity. The current need for office space is mainly a result of a goal set in 2008 by the university to increase study-abroad rates from 22 percent of all students to 50 percent over the next five years.
‘[They] have had office space in hallways and storage rooms for several years while waiting for the ICNS to relocate,’ Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Edward Spriggs said in an e-mail. ‘
In 2006, parents protested a proposal to close the school halfway through their children’s academic year. Two- to five-year-old kids marched up and down Library Walk donning T-shirts and signs reading, ‘Let us stay in school!’
Instead, to make the transition smoother, administrators timed the closing of ICNS with the completion UCSD’s only other nursing school ‘mdash; the Early Childhood Education Center, located in East Mesa Housing ‘mdash; this February. In addition, ECEC responded to the desperate ICNS parents by opening a part-time program to serve children displaced by the closure of the nursery school. ‘
Funding for the old nursery school came from per-child tuition and contributions from the Friends of the International Center, a university organization; the only direct financial contribution from UCSD was reduced rent.
‘It’s incomprehensible to me that UCSD would consider shutting down this school a rational decision, given that it doesn’t cost the university much,’ philosophy professor and ICNS parent Christian Wuthrich said. ‘It’s almost free for the university.’
ICNS Director Connie Justice said she had been under the impression that UCSD would merely relocate the nursery school to another on-campus location; many parents had the same idea.
‘We’ve always been hoping for a reprieve,’ said math professor Kate Okikiolu, whose children were enrolled at ICNS. ‘Nobody actually believed it would happen. I’m still in denial that it’s a
ctually happening.’
According to Spriggs, UCSD administrators allowed advocates from ICNS to participate in meetings, updated them on timelines and provided alternative options for parents.
ICNS allowed students to attend two, three or five days a week, including weekends, during one of three time slots. The new part-time program at ECEC only offers morning and afternoon sessions, and only on weekdays.
‘Parents who were students or faculty could have lunch with their children [at the ICNS],’ said Susie Yount, ICNS parent. ‘The students can take field trips around the university, like looking at the art pieces at the Craft Center or visit the university library. At a very young age, they know what a university is.’
ICNS made a point to welcome children from different backgrounds, and who spoke different languages, into its program. Because many parents who sought out the preschool were visiting scholars, spaces were often opened up for waitlisted children.
‘Some of our children came to us after being kicked out of their preschools because they couldn’t speak English or because they couldn’t adjust right away,’ Justice said. ‘There isn’t a whole lot of awareness or compassion in this neighborhood for families who don’t speak English as their first language.’
According to the ECEC Web site, the center will try to adapt ICNS’s vision to build a multicultural community for UCSD families. Its current curriculum is based on the Reggio Emilia approach to learning ‘mdash; a hands-on model that uses children’s imaginations to guide the curriculum.
However, many parents still feel that the ECEC won’t cater to their needs as well as the ICNS. ‘
‘It was more expensive, the hours weren’t as friendly and we had no options for lunch. We just decided not to [enroll our child in ECEC],’ ICNS board president Stephanie Schmidt said.
A small group of affiliates, parents and teachers from the ICNS are searching for a new location off campus, where they aim to recreate the same flexible and diverse environment for the children of faculty, students and visiting scholars.
‘ ‘You cannot negotiate your child’s education,’ math professor and ICNS parent Jacques Verstraete said. ‘Your child needs to go somewhere. A place like this on campus is a huge benefit for the university.’
Readers can contact Gloria Wu at [email protected].