Parent Information

Parent Orientation Guide (PDF)

Location

The Early Childhood Center is located in the Gifford Building (502 W. Lake St.) on the south side of the CSU campus. Lake Street is one block north of Prospect Street and the Gifford Building is on the north side of Lake Street located between Centre and Meridian Streets. Look for a three story gray building covered in ivy.

Parking

The University provides parking space at the rear of the Gifford Building (on the north side of the playground) for dropping off and picking up your child. The area has been designated as a "client" zone and parents are issued a special permit for parking in this area by the ECC administrative assistant. Be sure to display the permit on the dashboard of your car, as the University police will ticket unauthorized cars in this parking zone. The client lot is to be used only for the dropping off and picking up of children, not as a place to park cars for the day. Cars parked illegally will be ticketed for "Misuse of Permit" which carries a fine of $100. Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee you a parking place in this lot when you may need one. You may also use the loading zone to drop off and pick up your child, but keep in mind the 20-minute time limit. After 4:00 p.m., you may use the A, X, or Z parking permit areas. Areas not designated specifically for parking are "no parking" zones whether or not they are marked as such.

Hours of Operation

The Early Childhood Center is open from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. Parents can select a full week schedule, a 3 day schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday or a 2 day schedule of Tuesday and Thursday. We offer both full- and half-day (mornings only) programs.
Full Day 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Mornings 7:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Transitional two's classroom 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (inquire in office for requirements)

We are open to the general public and CSU students and faculty on a first come first served basis. The CSU Early Childhood Center program calendar closely follows the Poudre School District Schedule in Fort Collins, with some variance in closures (see calendar). You may sign up for two CSU semesters; 10 weeks of summer sessions are additional.