UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club

October 4. 2017, Optimist Club Meeting, Guest Speaker: Erica Schepp

Erica Schepp, Director of UW-Whitewater Children’s Center, was the guest speaker for our Club meeting on Wednesday, October 4.  Erica explained that the center is the only childcare provider in Whitewater accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  The center serves children of faculty, staff, students, and community members.  She discussed a new program on campus where students can earn 1-3 college credits by working with children at the center, based upon the hours worked per week.  Erica and her staff are planning to improve the center’s “Sensory Room,” which provides a safe and therapeutic place for the children to learn calming skills. Some of the proceeds from the 2018 Trivia Night will be used to update the room with swings that hang from the ceiling as individual pods for children needing a quiet space to relax, and installing both a light lab and a large magnetic wall with ramps and pathways, to help improve a variety of motor skills.  This is your proceeds at work!