Margaret's House: RIT's Unique Campus Daycare

Illustration by Gail Crapsi

Have you ever seen a wagon full of children being taken through campus and wondered, where did they come from? Margaret’s House, the “best-kept secret on campus” as named by its director Jennifer Tills, is the answer. 

What Does Margaret's House Do?

Margaret’s House is a child care center located on the dorm-side of campus across from Rosica Hall. It primarily cares for children aged zero to five of RIT students and faculty. 

Beyond providing a place close by for parents to leave their children, the on-campus location makes for unique educational opportunities. Tills emphasizes the importance of social-emotional education during a child's early years, and she spoke of how their location adds to this. 

“One of my favorite things from when I was a teacher was that I would put together some foam pads so that they could look out the window,” she stated. “All the RIT students are so interesting; not only are these kids excited about everything, but looking out the window is like watching a movie. It was also an educational experience.” 

How It Began

What makes Margaret’s House a unique case among other college campus childcare centers is its origins. Other campuses with this service typically provide a degree in education that then utilizes their daycare as a learning experience. But for RIT, it was born out of the passion donors had for providing this service.  

 Childcare on the RIT campus started with the Horton Preschool Program in 1972, which was made possible by a donation from Metha Horton. When that program grew outside of its capacity, Alfred Davis contributed donations to bring the center to where it is housed now. He did it in honor of his wife, Margaret Davis, who became the namesake for the center. This donation also led to the addition of a program for infants and toddlers.

The Future of Margaret's House

Part of Tills’s goal as director is to make Margaret’s House “more woven into the fabric of RIT.” Outside of regular walks throughout the campus, the kids also put on fundraisers where they sell lemonade during events such as SpringFest.

While RIT may not have any degree paths in education, Margaret’s House kids still get a chance to interact with the students through their involvement in yearly projects.  

Tills describes this relationship, stating, “professors have their students build toys and then they’ll come and test them out here with the kids. The kids get to play with them and give them feedback.” 

The kids are also assigned to draw characters such as monsters or Jack-O-Lanterns that get transformed into full graphic or 3D design projects by students. 

Tills expressed hope in continuing to build on this relationship with campus. There is already some level of connection through the proximity of Margaret's House to NTID and dorms, but further interactions through events and fundraisers make for a more positive, reciprocal environment.

So remember, the children at Margaret's House are likely as happy to see you as you are of them, and we each have something to learn from each other.