Nontraditional Student Center Mission Statement

The Nontraditional Student Center is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment to empower nontraditional students (25 and older, a spouse or committed partner, divorced, widowed, and/or have children) to navigate barriers and challenges, access resources for academic and personal growth, and develop leadership skills for success beyond the classroom.

WSU Nontrad Hourly Child Care Mission & Core Values

Our mission is to provide flexible, affordable, and accessible child care to WSU students, and faculty and staff, while fostering the growth and development of the child, both emotionally and physically, in a nurturing and safe environment.

Core Values

Flexible: Keep student parents as our first priority. Maintain an hourly format where students can attend school part-time or full-time allowing their education to merge into their life with family, work, and other obligations. Offer care for class time, studying, testing, tutoring, and many other academic and co-curricular activities to support students in their education. Support and value faculty and staff by offering care during semester breaks, Spring Break, throughout the Summer and the school year, as space allows.
Affordable: Recognize the cost of child care as a barrier to a student’s education. Maintain the affordable hourly rate to keep the cost for parents down. Seek other funding through student fees and to help costs and support the child care center operations.
Accessible: Build centers in conjunction with the Nontraditional Student Center in a convenient location on campus. In addition to the child care center, student parents should have access to a kitchen, computer lab, lockers, and study lounge. Create dedicated spaces where parents can eat lunch with their child(ren) between classes and meet other parents and students.
Children’s growth and development: We are committed to developmentally appropriate practices as defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Create a nurturing and stimulating environment with hands-on learning to inspire creativity, curiosity, and individual growth and development. Recognize each child’s culture and individual needs. Create a curriculum that extends a child’s verbal and literacy skills. Construct lessons to engage mathematical skills, encourage scientific exploration, and improve verbal and literacy skills. Support a child’s point of view while developing responsibility and self-awareness. Inform parents on the progress and development of their child.