The Early Childhood Lab School and the Transfer and Reentry Center have been awarded $1.5 million from the federal government to establish a two-generation care program of subsidized child care for eligible student parents, and wraparound support for the parents as they work to complete their degrees while raising children.

The program is open to undergraduate, graduate and professional students who are eligible to receive federal Pell Grants; however, priority will be given to undergraduates and those with the most need, including low-income, single parents.

The funding is from the U.S. Department of Education’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School, or CCAMPIS, program.

Kelly Twibell, director of the Early Childhood Lab School, said providing student parents with options for child care is important for fostering successful academic careers.

“Our student-parent scholars are an important part of our community, and we want to make sure that we’re dedicating resources to them and their success,” Twibell said. “Student parents are twice as likely to drop out. Financial challenges and lack of access to quality child care can be what makes or breaks a student’s ability to persist and finish their degree, so where we’re able to offer not just part-time but full-time care, we’re giving parents an opportunity to achieve their goals.”

Wraparound support

The project will offer 54 spots of high-quality, subsidized child care at the Early Childhood Lab School, operated within the Department of Human Ecology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The application process will open in the spring for child care beginning next fall.

Marissa Weiss, transfer retention specialist with the Transfer and Reentry Center, said wraparound support services will include hiring a graduate student researcher to serve as a mentor to the student parents.

“The mentor will meet with the student-parent scholars on a regular basis to offer support and make connections to both on- and off-campus resources,” Weiss said. “The mentor will also foster a sense of community among the student-parent scholars so they feel connected and can draw on one another's knowledge and strengths.”

Twibell said she also expects to develop opportunities for parents to learn how to support their child’s development at home.

Social network for parents

“We’re working to also build a social network for the student parents,” she said. “Some of the funds will be used for community-building activities and weekly play kits that families can check out, use and bring back for new materials that their children can play with at home.”

The program will be promoted to students who are already enrolled, as well as incoming and prospective students. The Transfer Opportunity Program will help with getting the word out to community college students.

Twibell and Weiss said they hope the participants will feel supported by the campus and confident that their children are receiving the nurturing support they need to help them grow and learn.

“Student parents are resilient, outstanding students, and with this support they can truly thrive at UC Davis,” Weiss said. “Plus, when they succeed, their children benefit as well. The two-generation approach, simultaneously working with student parents and their children, is especially effective in uplifting families and putting them on a path to reaching their full potential.”