Assistance to Support Degree Completion
To increase the likelihood of low-income parents completing their college education so they can build a better future for their families, County College of Morris (CCM) now is offering childcare assistance with the support of a $71,348 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The four-year grant, Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), seeks to reduce the dropout rate among student-parents by providing the support that can help them to stay in college. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), parents with better access to childcare demonstrate better persistence and are more likely to complete a college degree.
Each semester, the federal grant, supplemented with $25,000 from the CCM Foundation, will provide 15 low-income, degree-seeking students taking 6 or more credits with access to affordable childcare in Morris County. Through the CCAMPIS program, CCM will utilize a sliding scale based on financial need to make a childcare subsidy payment. Participating CCM students also will be provided with intensive advising, tutoring and parenting workshops.
More than one in five college students – or 22 percent of all undergraduates – are parents, with the majority attending community colleges, according to IWPR. The majority of mothers in college also are single parents.
At CCM, CCAMPIS also will allow the college to establish stronger connections between childcare centers and its Early Childhood Education degree and certificate programs.
To find out more about the CCAMPIS program at CCM, contact the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@ccm.edu .
