The charge of the Innovative Childcare Solutions initiative is to develop sustainable solutions that address student childcare needs within the context of academic success. The initiative officially began this fall with a working group comprised of faculty, staff, students and administrators representing multiple campuses.
The first steps for this committee include:
- Performing an environmental scan of current solutions available to students on all three campuses
- Examining current successful, sustainable models from other institutions
- Determining how to measure the current needs of our student parents and helping stakeholders understand the unique needs of student parents on campus
While the initiative began this fall, work began last year with the administration of the Family Friendly Campus Toolkit. This survey, administered to all three campuses, helps this initiative assess student needs relating to childcare. This year, focus groups with student parents will provide additional insights to student parent needs at TWU.
Perhaps the most exciting news for this initiative came at the end of September. TWU has been awarded the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) grant through the U.S. Department of Education. This $184,212 grant will provide needs-based vouchers to Denton-area centers on a sliding scale for student parents on the Denton campus. This program on campus will be advertised as Succeed Using Child Care and Educational Student Services (SUCCESS). In addition to vouchers, student childcare choice and parent education are key aspects of this funding.
This grant provides momentum to our initiative and serves as a strong first step as we continue to explore options to meet the diverse needs of our student parents at all three campuses.
Questions about this initiative can be directed to Catherine Dutton or Amy O’Keefe.
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Written by the Strategic Plan Design Team
