Emily WykleNontraditional, low-income college students who are parents find it difficult to nearly impossible to access high-quality child care. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to offering a world-class, socially conscious education to diverse students to prepare the next generation of citizens and leaders — and now will be able to do so more effectively thanks in part to a new grant. The United States Department of Education has awarded UAB a $776,420 grant to help remove barriers to child care access through the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program, or CCAMPIS.
“Birmingham, as a community, needs to expand access to quality child care, particularly for low-income parents,” said Emily Wykle, project director in the UAB Office of the President. “The CCAMPIS program will help us increase the community’s capacity to provide this service to low-income families, while supporting some of our most vulnerable students as they work toward completing their degrees.”
Through student data and qualitative research, the following campus needs were identified:
- Access to high-quality, subsidized child care in the city of Birmingham for low-income students who are very close to graduation but face significant financial barriers
- Access to on-campus child care for low-wage workers who are working toward a college degree and career path that will move them firmly into the middle class
- Access to child care during nontraditional hours to allow UAB’s low-income student parents to study and participate in tutoring and other academic supports uninterrupted
“Based on our research, there are very few nationally accredited child care centers in metro Birmingham that do not have an extensive waitlist,” Wykle said. “The grant will support participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education by providing access to high-quality child care services.”
The program will help students who are parents make progress toward or complete an undergraduate degree with fewer obstacles by providing child care support and community resources. Children participating in the CCAMPIS program will receive appropriate care for their developmental and early learning needs through a positive child care environment.
Birmingham’s child care capacity will be increased through the UAB CCAMPIS project and a partnership with The James Rushton Early Learning and Family Success Center.