Working for Better Childcare Support on Campus

Since its foundation, CGS has been advocating the establishment of a childcare support system on campus, and we saw some of the fruits of our efforts last year: a diaper changing table in the universal gender-neutral restroom in the Dining Hall and a nursing room in Honkan. The nursing room is equipped with a sofa, cot, changing table, and microwave, and the floor is covered by mats so that babies can crawl around and play. Though it is not big, it can accommodate a few children at a time. I saw three babies together there once, which was great as parents could share their childcare experiences. Working mothers and student parents can become isolated, so this room is an important place for them to connect. Unfortunately, not many people know about it yet. I would like to see more people, part-time lecturers for instance, benefiting from this room.
Now I would like to cite the comments received from a graduate student who regularly uses the nursing room:

[The nursing room] helps me immensely. I came to the university every day until I gave birth to my baby. After the birth, it became difficult for me to come to campus. Before the nursing room was installed, I was confined at home and very stressed out. Once, during the summer break, I was so desperate to go to the university that I finally took my baby with me. But my baby started to cry when I was walking on campus. I ended up breastfeeding her in a restroom. Since September, however, when the nursing room opened, I have been spending more time at the university, and felt the joy of being both a mother and a student. The energy of other students and professors empowers me in my childcare and my study. I am truly grateful to those who worked hard for this nursing room.

As her letter shows, when you are caring for young babies, you are often isolated from the rest of society and have to deal with the stress alone. This situation is far from ideal for parents and babies. A nursing room offers a place where parents can connect with society and share problems with other parents, thus enabling them to take up their parenting responsibilities more positively.
The installation of a nursing room, however, cannot solve all the problems, and a better childcare support system is called for. For instance, as babysitters off campus are too expensive for student parents, some kind of financial support from the university is desirable. Or, a system of student babysitters may be integrated into official curricular activities such as service learning. The graduate student mentioned above also wrote:

I would like to suggest that a space like the nursing room be offered to people from outside the university as well. The biggest inconvenience since my baby was born is that I cannot take her to a library. There are many people from off campus using the ICU library, and perhaps some are also mothers experiencing similar frustrations. I would also appreciate a childcare facility for children under 3 years of age at the ICU Kindergarten.

It is indeed difficult to realize the desires to raise children and to participate in social activities such as study and work at the same time, but it is not impossible with the understanding and support of others. The problem of declining birth rates cannot be resolved by confining women to the private household arena and imposing parenting responsibilities upon them alone. What is needed is a paradigm shift to support various lifestyles and to share the responsibility of parenting in society. As educational institutions that equip students with the skills to live, universities need to set an example in this regard. We, therefore, will work even harder to advocate for the creation of a more barrier-free campus (to accommodate parents), a maternity-leave system for students, and the installation of a childcare facility on campus. We appreciate your continued support.