Rainbow's End candidates visit Carbondale

The three finalists for the new director’s position at Rainbow’s End visited campus last week to discuss their potential goals as director, administrators said.

Jennifer Hanley, a child development associate at Rainbow’s End; Mary Beth Goff, a kindergarden teacher in Cairo; and Darlene Waier, the county director of the Hamilton-Wayne-White County University of Illinois extension visited campus and met with several groups and administrators.

The three finalists were chosen from of a pool of applicants from across the country, Dean of Students Peter Gitau said.
Rainbow’s End is the daycare program that serves children of university students, faculty and staff.
Gitau said he would take feedback from all the sessions into consideration when making his recommendation.

“I need to look at the evaluations from everybody,” Gitau said.  “I have to think about what is best for the university.”

Hanley, who earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education from SIUC in May, has worked for the daycare for more than 10 years as a childcare assistant.

Hanley said she likes the environment of SIUC and the diversity it offers.

“I like the multicultural activities we incorporate and I like that I get to meet so many different people,” Hanley said.

Hanley said she would like to offer more family-oriented activities at the daycare.

Goff, a Carbondale native, has held the position of a teacher for The Children’s Place, a daycare center in Kansas City for children suffering from child abuse.
She said she would partner with more groups at the university in ways that would benefit both sides.

“(We could) partner with the new (Registered Student Organization) Saluki Single Parent program to serve as an additional resource for them and figure out a way to help them with their activities,” Goff said.

Goff, who has also served as director of the Asbury Children’s Center in Prairie Village, Kan., said she would like to increase the center’s budget by fundraising and looking for grant opportunities.

Waier, who earned her master’s degree in educational psychology from SIUC in 1989, is a former assistant dean of external affairs for the SIU School of Law and held a variety of teaching jobs with Rend Lake College, Carbondale Community High School and De Soto Elementary School.

Waier declined to comment.

The new director will fill the vacancy left by Eva Murray, who retired in December after 24 years with the daycare.

Gitau said he plans to make a decision by the end of March.  After Gitau makes his recommendation, it must be approved by the Affirmative Action Office and Chancellor Sam Goldman.

“We had good candidates,” Gitau said. “They presented strong arguments for why they should be given the position.”

Rainbow’s End employees had their own ideas about what qualities they hoped for in their new director.

Gloria Bollinger, a teacher at the daycare, said an ideal candidate would care about the center and its staff on top of the children it cares for.

“I feel that (the new director) should be not just interested in the children that are enrolled at the center but her staff at the center should be an important focus also,” said Gloria Bollinger, a teacher at Rainbow’s End.