Doing good for students. Doing good for the community.

It’s a way of life so ingrained at Adrian College and Michigan’s 14 independent colleges that it’s practically second nature.

So it shouldn’t have been a surprise this month when Adrian announced the creation of the Baby Bulldog Center, a daycare designed to help both working parents in the Michigan community and education majors at the college.

The center on the first floor of Valade Hall is full-fledged daycare, accommodating up to 12 children from birth to 3 years old. But it’s also a lab for Adrian College students pursuing early childhood education certificates.

“As schools are increasingly under pressure to do more with less, they will look for teachers who have credentials, such as the early childhood endorsement, beyond the basic certification,” Andrea Milner, Adrian’s director of the Institute for Education, told the Adrian Daily Telegram.

“We want to provide all our students — babies and undergraduates — the best start we can.”
Rather than seek jobs outside the college, students will work in the daycare alongside licensed childcare professionals. That will help them meet the 60 hours of internship required for an early childhood education certificate.

And it will help ease a childcare crunch in Lenawee County, where an estimated three quarters of youths under 5 have two working parents.

It’s Adrian College’s second venture into childcare. Its first, a collaboration with Little Maples Preschool for toddlers, was so popular it had to open a second location in 2014.

“We’re glad we can address that need while helping our students become the best teachers they can be,” Agnes Caldwell, Adrian dean for academic affairs, told the Daily Telegram.

A daycare might not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering colleges. But it’s the sort of detail and dedication to both students and surrounding communities that make Adrian and other Michigan independent colleges unique and truly special.

National leaders in education, the schools recognize that college is about both preparing students for careers — and experience.

All emphasize community over crowds and a spirit of togetherness and cohesion that just doesn’t exist at big state schools.

With low class sizes and award-winning faculty, the schools are proud that students forge lifelong bonds with professors.

Often less expensive than public institutions, the independents boast higher four-year graduation rates for a truly unique and affordable experience.

Be bold. Be different. Go independent.