CAREFULLY AT SIU
Leading with Care:
Join SIU’s Childcare Initiative
Drive academic excellence and college completion through a family-focused care platform.
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Increase childcare access
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Improve education outcomes
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Build resiliency
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Empower families
Become a Carefully Community Builder
Volunteer to build a more caring, connected, and supportive campus
Your Role in Shaping Our University Community
At Southern Illinois University, we believe in the strength of our community and the power of support. The Carefully childcare initiative offers a unique opportunity for you to play a pivotal role in creating a more nurturing, inclusive environment for everyone on campus. Whether you're a parent in need of reliable childcare, a caregiver offering your services, or an ally passionate about advocating for essential resources, becoming a Carefully Community Builder is your chance to make a real difference.
A simple way to make a difference
Providing childcare options to your local community helps build a foundation for success.
SIU's partnership with Carefully reflects a shared belief in the power of community-based childcare. With data showing parents with childcare are 300% more likely to graduate and 62% more likely to rise above the poverty line, it’s clear that providing these options is crucial. Carefully offers an innovative solution supporting the Friends, Family and Neighbor Network, especially valuable in Illinois, where 58% of residents are living in a childcare desert.
Carefully has partnered with SIU and other prestigious universities and employers to show that this model is a vital part of the solution to the childcare crisis, and we are excited to be leading the charge as innovators and changemakers at a time when our parents and caregivers need us most.
"About 15% of our students are parents, and the truth is they do not have the childcare services they need. Parents who are students need reliable and affordable childcare services, and the same goes for students whose parents rely on them as childcare providers for younger siblings."
Sheila Caldwell, Ed.D.
Vice President for Antiracism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
Helping student parents
With the Carefully mobile app, parents can build trusted networks for sharing care. Carefully simplifies the organization, planning, and coordination of care, giving members the time and energy to focus, be more productive, and build a stronger community.
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Care Circles
Organize a group of families who want to talk about parenting and swap time to cover classes, studying, and self care.
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Ideal for for parents with occasional care needs (< 5 hours per week)
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Babysitting Co-ops & Swaps
Set up a group of members who need more consistent help with childcare. Commit to the group and request help when you need it.
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Ideal for for parents with weekly care needs
(5-10 hours)
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Playgroups
Bring together nearby parents where each member hosts a recurring event for after-school pickup.
Ideal for for parents with daily care needs
(3-5 hours per day)
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Last-Minute help
Post a care request to get help from your network when you’re running late or need an extra hour to study.
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Everyone can use some last minute help sometime
Join Us in This Transformative Journey
Your involvement can make a significant impact on our campus. Together, we can transform SIU into a place where students, staff, and faculty members thrive, secure in the knowledge that their children are part of a caring and safe community. This is more than just a role; it's a commitment to the wellbeing and success of our entire SIU family.
Help nurture a culture of mutual support and understanding as we work together to create a campus that cares for each of its members. Sign up below:
About the Carefully Cooperative
Tackling childcare challenges requires the combined efforts of community members, influential leaders advocating for policy changes, and a unifying platform. Carefully is not just a platform—We are also a cooperative that is deeply committed to the communities that we serve.
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By building a strong network of co-ops, family networks, and childcare swaps, we're helping families save money, get back to work, and have more time for the things that matter. Our mobile platform makes it easy for parents to connect with people they trust for childcare, playdates, and events, all while keeping community and care at the heart of everything we do.
Leslie Borrell, Founder & CEO