Two new toddler classrooms will expand affordable childcare for low-income students at Peninsula College, thanks to a $160,585 grant from the U.S. Department of Education Child Care Access Means Parents In School (C-CAMPIS). The program supports participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.

The ability to open the two classrooms will fill a critical gap in services for Peninsula College students with toddler age children, enabling childcare services for an additional 20 children, ages 1-3, per school year, PC officials said last week.

Fourteen of those spots will be reserved for children of PC students.

For many students, particularly low-income students for whom travel to campus is a barrier to academic success, these on-campus childcare services can make the difference between those who complete a certificate or degree and those who do not, college officials said.

“Access to affordable childcare is an ongoing issue in our region for our students,” PC President Dr. Luke Robins said. “This grant will allow us to expand our child care offerings and remove a key barrier between students and success.”

More than 20 percent of PC students have children, college officials noted, and more than 30 percent also work while attending classes.

Peninsula College currently operates two preschool classrooms on the main campus that serve 34 students. At the time of the grant proposal submission, there were eight toddlers on the waiting list for the new toddler care classrooms, and the center director receives at least two calls per month from students seeking toddler care, PC officials said.

The total cost of the Peninsula College C-CAMPIS Project is $205,006, with the U.S. Department of Education funding 79 percent of total costs and Peninsula College contributing the remaining 21 percent ($44,421) through in-kind contributions.

For more information, email Christina Heistand at cheistand@pencol.edu.