Howard Community College, Community Action Council to Reopen Campus Childcare Center
When I was appointed president in late 2021, one of my priorities for this college was to reopen our campus children’s learning center (CLC). The center closed in 2020 as COVID shut down in-person services and ravaged budgets. It was an essential resource for our students and employees who needed quality childcare where they worked and pursued their educations.
Today, I am so excited to announce that our college has finalized an agreement with the Community Action Council of Howard County to reopen the CLC. Bringing back the center will help dozens of families to reduce childcare costs, support Early Head Start programming for infants and toddlers, and encourage degree completion among student parents at HCC.
Many of you know our institution is fully committed to supporting students and employees with young families. Over 2,900 students enrolled at HCC last year received Pell Grant funding, with 24% claiming child dependents. We are proud of our programming to support student parents with designated study space in the college library, food pantry access, and a growing roster of classes with faculty members who welcome young children to be with parents during in-person classroom instruction.
This is a significant day for our community and for the dreams of children and their parents who understand education as a catalyst for generational change. We could not be more grateful for the partnership of (Community Action Council President) Tracy Broccolino and the CAC, County Executive Calvin Ball, and many other heroes and heroines who made this day possible. Young parents and their children will once again have a place on our campus to more comfortably work, grow, and dream toward their roles as leaders of our community and our world.
I also want to thank our team at the HCC Educational Foundation, who helped us receive a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support reopening the campus childcare center. The grant is part of the federal Childcare Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which is vital in helping campuses and communities rebound from the impact of COVID-19-related closings and shuttered services.
Today’s announcement, in addition to our participation in networks like Achieving the Dream and Generation HOPE, positions Howard Community College to continue our growth as a national example of what the future of educational access for all students can be.