A child care program for Ohio State students is now available for the first time at OSU's Mansfield and Newark campuses, thanks to a $2 million, four-year federal grant.
While the university does not specifically track how many students are parents, they are a sizable part of the Ohio State community and face many barriers that go unacknowledged, said Yolanda Zepeda, interim vice provost in OSU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
“Our universities were never designed for students with children, but I think the challenges are finally being better understood, and more resources are being made available,” Zepeda said in a statement.
The grant money expands the capacity of the CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents in School) program, initially funded through a smaller grant in 2019.
It will provide support for roughly 45 parenting students and their children each year.
The program includes daytime child care and summer camp opportunities as well as after-school care.
To qualify, students must be at a Pell-eligible income level and be taking a full class load.
According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, more than one in five college students is a parent nationally, and women of color are more likely than their peers to be raising children while earning a degree.
More information about the program is available at the ACCESS website or by contacting CCAMPIS Program Coordinator Stephanie Fields at Fields.633@osu.edu.
