Raising a child, working and going to school at the same time can be a challenge.

Nadia Rodriguez knows that.

But the wife, mother and student still finds time somehow to take care of all her responsibilities.

“Getting good child care on campus isn’t hard,” the child development sophomore said. “But paying for it is.”

For students such as Rodriguez, some relief will be available during heavy study times soon.

The Spartan Child Development Center and Child and Family Care Resources will be providing free child care to MSU students who are parents the week before final exams.

The sessions are Dec. 5, 6, 8 and 10 at the Spartan Child Development Center. A snack will be given to children at each session but diapers will not be provided.

Although the center always offers free child care near final exams, its regular costs aren’t so convenient, Rodriguez said.

Lori Strom, director of Child and Family Care Resources, estimates a year of child care on campus would cost $10,000 and is almost impossible for students to pay.

“The biggest expense people don’t count on is child care,” she said.

Space is another concern, Strom said.

Reservations are required for the free prefinal care because spaces are limited and parents are urged to go early to fill out paperwork.

Throughout the year, the center has 93 spaces available for child care at a given time and a waiting list of 100.

“The space is really inadequate,” Strom said. “We get many calls from MSU staff, faculty and students who are looking for child care available on campus. Parents have the perception they can get the best quality care on campus. It’s a big plus.”

But Robin Zeiter, administrative director of the center, said even though space is limited, the center tries to accommodate students throughout the year.

The center will be relocating to a new building next fall where there will be 32 more spaces available.

Although Zeiter thinks the center does a great job in offering resources to student parents, she said there is room for improvement.

“It’s really hard for students, dealing with flexibility with classes and piecing together child care,” she said.

“I think that it would be ideal if we had the flexibility on the budget standpoint to offer more care and part-time care.”

Currently, the Spartan Child Development Center is the only place on campus that provides full-time child care, but that’s not always conducive to students’ class and work schedules, Rodriguez said.

“The problems aren’t always geared to be addressed for the students,” she said. “People on campus don’t think about what students need but more of what professors need.”