As Spring Semester approaches, now is the time to apply for federal assistance available for on-campus child care.
“Although registration is open enrollment, students should apply as quickly as possible,” Kris Hale, child-care program coordinator, said. “That way, we can work with students so they can be financially ready in time for Spring Semester.”
The U recently received financial-aid support through the federal Pell Grant program, Child-Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS).
Student-parents who meet income guidelines or qualify for Pell Grant assistance may be eligible for subsidized child care while attending class.
The grant has broad eligibility and student-parents are strongly encouraged to apply.
“Oftentimes, student-parents can’t afford child care or the child-care facilities are too far away,” Hale said. “There are all kinds of barriers; our hope is that the CCAMPIS grant will help students move through those barriers.”
The CCAMPIS program has already assisted several U families with child-care expenses during the financially difficult educational years.
“Being a single mom, (the grant) created the opportunity for me to be able to attend the U,” said Jennifer Terry, a senior in mass communication and four-time recipient of the CCAMPIS. “The grant covered my child-care expenses completely.”
One of the most beneficial aspects of the grant is that it can be applied to four of the eight child-care programs on campus, including the ASUU Child Care Program, BioKids, The Early Childhood Education Center and KinderCare.
“Having the child-care facilities available on campus is the only way I could’ve had my son in child care,” Terry said. “I can visit him in between classes, and it creates a peace of mind knowing he is on campus only minutes away from me.”
For U student Emilee Wall, a senior in social work, being a student and a mother is definitely possible.
“As a single mom, I would encourage parents to go to school,” Wall said. “In the long run, it will all be worth it. School is manageable, and there is help available.”
For more information concerning the CCAMPIS program and other childcare programs available at the U, visit www.childcare.utah.edu.
For registration information, call the Child-Care Coordinating Office at 585-5897 or 587-7730.