U of T Scarborough’s first infant feeding room is a welcoming and safe space for caregivers to balance their academic careers and family life on campus.
Facilitated by the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean, the project is led by professors Mary Silcox and Maydianne Andrade in their commitment to prioritize initiatives that better support community members with families.
The idea for the room stems from conversations they facilitated with women in the sciences, mostly graduate students, to discuss challenges they face in academia. From there, the group became aware of what resources parents needed to thrive on campus.
“What has been amazing is the degree to which the idea was met with enthusiasm, energy and imagination,” says Silcox, vice-dean, graduate and postdoctoral studies at U of T Scarborough.
“This is truly coming from listening to graduate students about the challenges they face.”
The infant feeding room offers parents a private and accessible space to care for their children. Converted from a maintenance closet, it was thoughtfully constructed to equip parents with the essentials and stocked with a sink, fridge, microwave and counter space.
Located in SW 524, adjacent to the graduate student lounge in the Science Wing, the room is available to anyone with a UTORid. Caregivers can schedule a time to use the room online.
“This pilot project is part of recognizing and building on our commitment to equity on campus,” says Jennifer Adams Peffer, director of architecture, planning and project development at U of T Scarborough.
Amanda McLeod, the lead architect on the project, explains that along with functionality, a priority was to transform the room into a cozy space with comfortable seating, soft lighting and warm colour palettes. It even features art personal to the campus’ location near parklands, with three watercolour images of baby animals on the walls.
“When you start to tuck in these small but important amenities, they aggregate to build a campus that we all need,” says McLeod, an architect in the design and construction management office at U of T Scarborough.
The discussions with graduate students have informed current and future initiatives to support parents on campus. Projects include the quick installation of change tables in the women's and men's washrooms, and the establishment of the UTSC Housing Support Grant, which has since helped two single parents find housing off-campus.
“Something that we are working towards at UTSC is ensuring that the campus is accessible and welcoming to a wide range of students,” says Andrade, a professor in the department of biological sciences.
“I’m happy to be on a campus where, as soon as ideas come up, people immediately recognize that it is important and do what they can to get it done as quickly as possible.”
