Penn College News

Federal Grant Helps Student-Parents Pay for On-Campus Child Care

Friday, November 6, 2015

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Robert & Maureen Dunham Children’s Learning Center received a grant that will help subsidize the cost of child care for eligible parents who are pursuing higher education at the college.

The CCAMPIS grant, which stands for Child Care Access Means Parents in School, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Its purpose is to support the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services. Penn College will receive $102,042 for 2015-16.



The Children’s Learning Center uses the grant to help provide reduced fees to students whose income levels make them eligible for federal Pell Grants. Reductions range from 25 to 75 percent off regular Children’s Learning Center fees, depending on a student’s income as reported to the Financial Aid Office.

Twenty-nine Pell Grant-eligible Penn College students are benefiting from the sliding fee scale in 2015-16, allowing them to attend classes secure in the knowledge that their children are safe and receiving an excellent early childhood experience on campus.

Part of the CCAMPIS grant is also used to fund a part-time teacher assistant who spends time in all four of the center’s classrooms to allow regular staff members time for lesson planning, meetings with students and parents, and working on child assessments.

The center offers child care and early education for the children of Penn College students and employees. It also provides a working laboratory for students in the early childhood education department and other majors.

The center is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, through its Commission on Elementary Schools, and by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It has received the highest rating – four stars – from the Pennsylvania Keystone STARS program.

To learn more about the college’s Children’s Learning Center, call 570-320-8026.

For more about grant-funding opportunities, faculty and staff may contact Grants & Sponsored Programs at ext. 7580 or through its Web portal.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.