Editor:
In response to “No Freedom for students enrolled with child care” here are a few clarifications.
The Department of Education measures CCAMPIS funding success by degree completion.
To support this goal, we consciously and deliberately made it clear in our proposal that we would require students to enroll in courses (and pre-requisites) listed on their signed degree plan to qualify.
We feel that this was probably a deciding factor that contributed to being funded over the many colleges that also submitted proposals for this highly competitive grant.
Students must be eligible for Federal Pell Grants; this is required by the Department of Education.
The essence of the CCAMPIS grant is to support students who are simultaneously attending school, raising children, and have limited economic resources.
The CCAMPIS grant is for all majors, whether they are going directly into the workforce or planning to transfer.
Students who qualify for CCAMPIS pay only $25-$35 per week instead of $157-$167 for our nationally accredited childcare (this subsidy is higher if a child is placed in a center off-campus).
The remaining cost is picked up by the grant; this means in addition to the Pell award, the student parent is funded an additional $2,000-$2,800 per semester to cover their child’s care and education.
This is more than a discount. Some student parents have two or more children funded; and some receive funding for three or four years, amounting to $12,000-$16,000.
While we realize that course exploration may be limited as a caveat for receiving this support, we feel it’s justified and hope to see a story in the future about the majority of students who are thrilled to have this opportunity instead of just the few who feel the requirements are unfair.
You’ll find that our staff does everything we can to help students and increase the likelihood that they’ll graduate in a timely-manner, all-the-while providing an amazing education for their children.
Ellen Marshall
Early Childhood Studies Chair