Parents had been struggling for years to find quality child care in Morgantown and surrounding areas, officials said. But in 2007, advocates started to see some marked improvements, said Lynn Sobolov, co-chairwoman of Vision 4 Our Children.
"I think more people are definitely focused on the issue of child care," Sobolov said. "If you do nothing, then you will get nothing. I think this is a step in the right direction."
A February 2007 story in The Dominion Post laid out the problem parents were facing.
Parents said they found waiting lists of up to two years for some childcare centers. Some were spending as much as their mortgage payments to find a safe and educational environment for their children.
Child-care advocates formed a group called Vision 4 Our Children and held a community forum in April 2007. Parents said they needed more and better child care. In response to the crisis, one child care center expanded and another opened its doors.
WVU announced in October that it would build a center for 184 children. WVU President Michael Garrison's wife, Heather Garrison, said she would make child care one of her primary issues as first lady of WVU.
Joe Fisher, associate vice president for facilities and services, said a child-care center has been on WVU's agenda for some time. Michael Garrison made the decision to go ahead and build it.
Fisher said the location -- next to Krepps Park -- was good for the center because it is in a quiet area with access from Patteson Drive.
Fisher said the university has responded to neighborhood advocates' concerns by redesigning the property to preserve parking. He said that though WVU has received some negative feedback, many people have come out in favor of the center.
"We've also had some positive feedback from people in the community and faculty that see the benefit of having the day-care facility there," Fisher said. "We really think that this facility and its small size will fit well on the edge of the park and will be an asset not only to the university, but the neighborhood and the full community."
City Council has also responded to the issue by establishing a task force on children and families, as well as adopting the National League of Cities' platform for strengthening families. The council also declared 2008 the "Year of the Child" in an effort to highlight the need for child care, after-school care and teen programs.
BOPARC also plans to sponsor a new Web site that will provide information on child-care opportunities in the county, said Marissa Travinski, BOPARC program manager.
The site, which should be in operation by June 1, will offer listings of child-care openings at local centers, which will be updated by the child-care companies themselves. It will have listings of family friendly events and teen activities too.
"The Web site is going to be pretty much a one-stop shop for parents, at least that's our vision," Travinski said. "It's putting the responsibility in the lap of Vision 4 Our Children to get this information out to the public."
City Council member Jenny Selin, who is on the city's task force on children and families, said there have been major strides in the area of child care in the past year.