By Cigdem Unal, Director, Office of Child Care and Family Resources
August 2025 marked the 10-year anniversary of Cigdem Unal’s leadership as director of the Office of Child Care and Family Resources (OCCFR). In this reflection (originally shared on OCCFR’s website), Unal highlights her most significant accomplishments over the past decade — expanding access to high-quality child care for UW–Madison families through strategic campus and community partnerships, building comprehensive family support systems, and establishing the UW–Madison Child Care and Education System as a model of quality, collaboration, and sustainability.
Access to high-quality child care is a critical factor in the recruitment and retention of a thriving university community. For faculty and staff, a lack of reliable care leads to increased turnover and absenteeism, which can disrupt research productivity and administrative operations. New employees relocating to Madison are particularly vulnerable to these challenges, as long waitlists for child care create a significant barrier to their transition into the campus community.
Similarly, for parenting students, child care is a primary determinant of academic persistence and graduation. The unique demands of the UW–Madison environment, including laboratory research, clinical rotations, and graduate assistantships, often require care options that are closer to campus than what is available in the broader community. By addressing the scarcity of child care spots, the university supports healthier family outcomes, reduces time-to-degree, and ensures that students and employees are not forced to choose between familial responsibilities and academic or professional success.
When I began my role as director of the Office of Child Care and Family Resources (OCCFR) in 2015, the UW–Madison Child Care System included three campus-based centers, two contracted centers — Little Chicks Learning Academy (LCLA) and Bernie’s Place — and a small network of home-based child care programs. The campus child care centers at UW–Madison have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to high-quality care and education, with each center state-licensed and city-accredited.
I was appreciative of this solid foundation, yet it quickly became clear that the demand for child care far exceeded the system’s capacity. By 2016, there were 408 children on the waitlists for UW–Madison’s campus child care centers alone, with over 40% of those children being under age one and 60% being over age two. Addressing this critical need for child care, thereby ensuring that UW families could truly thrive both on and off campus, became a central priority of my work.
In addition to expanding child care capacity, it was equally essential to cultivate the holistic support systems that allow UW families to flourish. Raising children while pursuing academic and professional goals is both meaningful and demanding, and families deserve a community that offers them understanding, resources, and encouragement. Through parenting programs, family events, educational workshops, and intentional community-building initiatives, the Office of Child Care and Family Resources has worked tirelessly to strengthen these supports. This work has become a deeply meaningful part of our mission, affirming that when families feel seen, supported, and connected, their ability to succeed grows exponentially.
The OCCFR team is proud to continue expanding our offerings annually by adding new programs, events, and opportunities for families to connect and thrive.
Achieving national accreditation
One of my earliest priorities was enabling the child care centers in the existing UW–Madison Child Care System to achieve national accreditation — a credential that Waisman Early Childhood Program had successfully attained prior to 2015. National accreditation represents the highest standard in early childhood education. It also provides eligibility for the centers to serve families receiving the federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant, which was administered by OCCFR. Through close collaboration with directors, teachers, and campus partners, the remaining four centers earned national accreditation, and all five have successfully maintained their national and city accreditations throughout my tenure. OCCFR remains committed to supporting the direct and indirect costs essential for sustaining this standard of excellence.
To further strengthen program quality, I created a mini-grant system to support teachers and enhance classrooms across our campus and network centers. This initiative provides funding for meaningful professional development opportunities and essential resources that enhance both indoor and outdoor learning environments — support that aligns closely with accreditation requirements and reinforces each center’s commitment to excellence. In recent years, this targeted funding has been used to send educators to several early childhood education conferences, including the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) conference and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference. Additionally, mini grant funds have been used for enhancements to learning environments that help promote child development and safety. Eagle’s Wing Child Care was granted funding for a new fence to surround their outdoor play space and garden. Little Chicks Learning Academy purchased an age-appropriate climbing structure for the toddler classroom, and The Playing Field Midtown used funds to add a mud kitchen and climbing tunnel to their playground, promoting creativity and pretend play across age groups. Together, these efforts have elevated program quality, supported educator growth, and ensured that children and families benefit from consistent, high-quality early childhood education.
Expanding community partnerships
Helping the UW–Madison Child Care System centers become nationally accredited was just the first step in my efforts to expand high-quality child care access for UW families. In 2015, the campus and network centers within the System had a total enrollment capacity of just 383 spots for children aged 0-5.
Additionally, our partnership with the Satellite Family Child Care System played a pivotal role in providing even more child care options, supporting approximately 50 families who opted for home-based child care programs in the 2015-2016 academic year. While these options provided a strong foundation, it was evident that there was great potential for growth to better meet the diverse and evolving needs of the campus community.
It’s rare that any goal is met without a few roadblocks. The first obstacle in my child care expansion initiative came in 2015, when the UW Child Development Lab permanently closed its second site in west Madison. This closure brought to light the urgent need for increased child care capacity for UW families.
An early milestone during this period was the launch of a new infant program at Eagle’s Wing Child Care and Education Programs in 2015-2016, achieved in collaboration with UW Housing and with funding support from OCCFR. This initiative added eight more critical infant spots, addressing a pressing need for care for this age group.
Through collaboration with the University Child Care Committee (UCCC) and the Committee for Women in the University (CWU), we advocated tirelessly for increased funding and space to further expand campus child care services. However, despite our efforts, significant space and funding limitations prevented this vision from becoming a reality at the time.
Undeterred, I redirected my efforts to studying child care systems at other institutions and engaging with key stakeholders, including former Vice Chancellor Laurent Heller and former Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf.
We put the Wisconsin Idea into action, conceptualizing a more dynamic and inclusive child care system designed to address the increasing demand for high-quality, accessible child care and education. Through our discussions, we identified an opportunity to expand partnerships with established accredited child care providers in the community. This vision drove a transformative expansion of the UW–Madison Child Care System.
Doubling child care enrollment capacity
Following a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) and contracting process, the UW–Madison Child Care Network was formally established on July 1, 2018, as part of the broader UW–Madison Child Care System. Four high-quality, licensed, and accredited centers — Creative Learning Preschool, Meeting House Nursery School, Preschool of the Arts, and The Playing Field Midtown — were added to the two existing contracted centers. This expansion nearly doubled the system’s enrollment capacity, significantly increasing access to child care for UW–Madison families.
By this time, the UW–Madison Child Care System had grown into a comprehensive network equipped to serve 739 children, not including the children from the additional 107 UW families that were approved in 2018-2019 for KidsKare — the hourly, backup child care program subsidized by OCCFR and operated by Little Chicks Learning Academy. Over the years, the Satellite Family Child Care System also experienced remarkable growth, increasing from 51 families served in the 2015-2016 academic year to 96 UW families who opted for home-based accredited child care in 2018-2019. Now comprised of campus centers, network centers, and family child care programs, the UW–Madison Child Care System offered a variety of reliable, high-quality child care options that continued to meet the evolving needs of UW families, while advancing the university’s teaching and research missions.
We continued seeking opportunities to strengthen and expand our community partnerships to better support UW families. Starting in 2011, the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) began offering state-funded four-year-old kindergarten (4K) programs at several elementary schools and partnering early childhood education sites. As this initiative expanded over the next several years, several CCES centers began offering MMSD 4K programs. Initially, many of these partnerships focused on part-time 4K programming.
Eagle’s Wing has served as a pilot MMSD full-day 4K site over the past several years, and as of fall 2026, Bernie’s Place, The Playing Field Midtown, and Meeting House Nursery School will also be contracted MMSD full-day 4K sites. In total, eight of the twelve centers within the CCES now operate as publicly funded MMSD 4K sites. In addition, Middleton Early Childhood Center partners with the Middleton–Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) to provide 4K programming.
Through these partnerships, approximately 10–20 enrollment spots have been added per classroom, depending on classroom configuration and center capacity. These school district partnerships expand access to high-quality preschool experiences at a reduced child care cost, increasing affordability and accessibility for UW families while strengthening the long-term sustainability of the UW–Madison Child Care System.
Throughout the seven years of collaboration, an invaluable resource was built, benefitting countless families at the university. This system not only enabled families to thrive but also fostered innovation and growth by offering diverse early learning environments that inspired and prepared future educators. Additionally, it provided valuable opportunities for researchers across campus, profoundly enriching the UW–Madison community in meaningful and lasting ways.
By fostering partnerships and investing in innovative solutions, this system continues to support families, enhance educational opportunities, advance early childhood education research and drive progress across the university.
As the initial seven-year contract term drew to a close in mid-2025, we actively engaged in a second RFP process aimed at strengthening and further expanding the newly named UW–Madison Child Care and Education System (CCES). Our goal was to add more accredited centers, strategically located across Madison, to reach UW families across the city and into neighboring communities. Simultaneously, we continued working closely with the University Child Care Committee and the Committee for Women in the University to advocate for additional on-campus child care centers.
This dual approach — expanding our network while working to enhance on-campus resources — was essential for creating a sustainable, family-friendly campus environment that adapts to the evolving needs of our community.
On July 1, 2025, we proudly announced that three high-quality network centers joined the CCES making significant progress toward our ongoing goal of expanding access and capacity within University-affiliated, accredited child care and education programs.
The newest additions to the CCES — Isthmus Montessori Academy (IMA), Middleton Early Childhood Center, and The Playing Field East — each bring distinctive offerings to UW families. Isthmus Montessori Academy is the first CCES center to implement an AMI Montessori philosophy, nurturing independence and curiosity through child-led exploration, strong family partnerships, and a commitment to kindness and growth. Across Lake Mendota, Middleton Early Childhood Center provides a bilingual immersion program that builds confidence and social-emotional development in a NAC-accredited environment. The Playing Field East, the second location of The Playing Field, continues the organization’s community-centered approach and uniquely prioritizes comprehensive family support while integrating children from diverse backgrounds into its “School Family” model.
These additions not only broaden the CCES’s program offerings and geographic reach, but also significantly increase enrollment capacity for UW–Madison–affiliated families. When I began my role as OCCFR director in 2015, the UW–Madison Child Care System supported 383 full-time child care spots. Today, through years of intentional expansion, partnership-building, and sustained advocacy, that number has reached 1,139. In just a decade, we have nearly tripled the available child care capacity for UW families — an achievement that reflects not only the urgency of the need, but the deep commitment across our campus to supporting students, staff, and faculty as they raise their children. Collectively, the centers within the CCES today provide 227 spots for infants and toddlers (age two and under) and 912 spots for children ages three and up, ensuring a continuum of high-quality care across age groups.
The accomplishment of growing the UW–Madison Child Care and Education System over the past 10 years brings me great pride and inspires optimism about future growth and collaboration. As I reflect on the past 10 years, I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support and partnership of individuals across our campus and community. Together, we have reimagined child care at UW–Madison, ensuring that families have access to high-quality and dependable care for their children. The university’s commitment to flexible and remote work options, along with its supportive six-week paid parental leave policy, has played a vital role in helping faculty and staff families balance work and caregiving responsibilities. These efforts, combined with the campus and network centers’ dedication to excellence, innovation, and inclusivity, have been the cornerstone of our work and success.
Final thoughts
As we look ahead, our vision remains clear: to support UW families, empower child care centers, and enrich our community through creative collaboration, profound care, and forward-thinking leadership. By strengthening partnerships and building on the momentum we’ve created, we are not only meeting the needs of today — we are shaping the future of child care at UW–Madison. Together we are creating a community where families are supported holistically, child care centers thrive, and children and families truly flourish. As we look ahead, we are confident that innovation and compassion will continue to fuel meaningful progress, sustained growth, and a lasting legacy of care and opportunity for generations to come.
