Held on a Sunday afternoon in the Davis Center, the Fall 2023 Childcare Mingler welcomed local families in need of childcare to campus. Upon arrival, attendees found the Grand Maple Ballroom filled with large banquet tables, art supplies, activities, and UVM students eager to make connections and find part-time work caring for little ones. Many of the students even study related fields, shared Peter Koerella, Strategic Communications Manager for the UVM Career Center who attended the event with his wife and twin boys. “It was so helpful to meet these students looking for an opportunity to build their experience and lean into their childcare calling.” Koerella, whose family moved to Burlington in early 2022, says the event is a wonderful way to continue building their community. “It was such a joy to interact with so many caring and curious students. We walked away with a long list of people who will be able to support us with childcare throughout the year.” 

A family of four sit at a round table.
Peter Koerella, center, with his twin boys and wife, laugh with UVM students at this fall's mingler.

Where it all started 

This isn’t the first time UVM has brought together its students and community members to share childcare opportunities. The first ever mingler began over 15 years ago, when then-UVM student Megan Benay, a Psychology major and SGA Senator came up with the idea inspired by her passion for education. Benay designed a unique gathering to connect families in need of childcare with those ready to provide it. Her vision continues to influence and shape the UVM community beyond her years in Burlington. 

Understandably, the event was paused after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a three-year hiatus, the team in the Office of Student and Community Relations (OSCR) felt the tradition was ready to return. john mejia, Associate Director for Student and Community Relations, says the event was welcomed back with open arms. “We had a number of returning families join us," shares mejia. "The UVM student who they had originally hired graduated, so they came back this year to find another sitter.” Mejia passed along praise from several attendees, one whom shared she had a sister who found a caregiver job at the mingler years prior. Now a mother herself, the woman attended this year’s gathering with her own child looking for caregivers. 

Grace Zarnowiecki '27 shows how to stand blocks for a young child and their parent.

The kids aren’t the only ones having fun. One student attendee, Madeline, was thrilled at the opportunity. “It’s nice to meet the families in person and play with the kids. The families are great—so friendly—and there’s such a great vibe in the room.”

The UVM Childcare Mingler has proven itself to be more than just an event, but a catalyst for building lasting connections and nurturing a sense of community. And no worries to those who couldn’t attend—the OSCR team has shared that a spring mingler is in the works!