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Young woman graduate holding baby
Pretty Asian woman graduate wearing cap and gown holding diploma and baby
Southwest Tennessee Community College (STCC) is making strides to help working and single-parent students achieve their goal of obtaining a college degree.
Because so many of the students on campus are the first generation in their family to pursue a higher education degree, Southwest hopes to offer as many resources as possible to make their goal of graduation become a reality. Attending classes and finding time to complete assignments can be even more difficult when caring for a child, and for that reason, STCC has implemented a child care program that helps support these motivated students.
In 2017, STCC was awarded a four-year grant by the U.S. Department of Education to support its Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. The $800,000 grant helps fund child care for children ages 2 ½ to 5 years old at a discounted rate. To participate, students in the program must be Pell-eligible students pursuing an associate degree, either in the classroom or at home. Parents must prove that they are enrolled in classes and bring documentation before being eligible to enroll their child. Currently the grant covers 90 percent of the child care cost, with students paying the other 10 percent. “We have students who pay as little as $12.50 a week,” says director of campus child care programs Mary Palmer.
Being a fairly new program, CCAMPIS had a slow start, but this past year alone, the program accommodated a total of 45 children. STCC is the only college in West Tennessee to offer this child care program. The college’s child care centers are located on the Union Avenue and Macon Cove campuses, and both received 3-star ratings from Tennessee’s Star Quality Program. The Union Avenue campus has been awarded accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The fact that the students have the opportunity to go to class and feel confident that their kids are being taken care of by people who really care about them [makes the program unique].
Despite the challenges most students face in obtaining a higher education degree, student-parents in a community college in particular are persisting in their education with the help of resources like the CCAMPIS program. This program provides parents and families with opportunities to afford a better quality of life for their children.
Shameka Street is one of the students who takes advantage of the child care services. Street is a double major in radiology and business administration and takes her 4-year-old A’Mery Casey to day care at the center in order to attend classes and concentrate on work. Street says the CCAMPIS program is great. “The fee I would normally pay would be $75 per week, and this is cheaper,” she says. “It allows me to drop my daughter off when I have class, and on the days I don’t have class, it allows me to get work done without any distractions.” Casey has attended the center for nearly a year, and her mother says she looks forward to coming in every day.
As part of a larger early childhood education center curriculum, the children participating follow a daily schedule. Children spend an average of six to 10 hours in the child care center per day while their parents attend classes on campus or online. Each day, children engage with the “interest areas,” which include computers, manipulatives, puzzles, games, etc. Employees also have times to meet with children to discuss the topics of the week and teach numbers and letters.
Students studying early childhood development also use the space for their practicum hours, engaging with the children on site. Employees working full-time are required by the Department of Human services to have their Child Development Associate (CDA) certification and be trained in safety and trauma, etc., in order to best watch over the children in their care.
“The fact that the students have the opportunity to go to class and feel confident that their kids are being taken care of by people who really care about them [makes the program unique],” Palmer says. With several students having finished their degrees and an expected increase in enrollment, the future looks bright for CCAMPIS.