TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) recently received the CCAMPIS grant which offers free child care to students.
The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us as childcare or the lack of access to quality childcare can be a barrier for parents,” said Tracey Meyerhoeffer, education department chair at CSI.
The grant offers more than $700,000 dollars to help low-income parents attend college. Though the focus is to get students into the classroom, offering high quality daycare is also a high priority for CSI.
“If you are thinking of taking the next step to get a degree and you are worried about who is going to take care of your children, in the magic valley we have good, qualified day cares,” said Clara Centeno, CCAMPIS project manager.
“Being a parent is like agreeing to have your heart walk around outside your body and so we want to focus on quality childcare,” said Meyerhoeffer.
CSI hopes this grant opens more access to education in the magic valley. “One of CSI’s main missions is access for everyone,” said Meyerhoeffer. This program requires parents to take at least six credits per semester and maintain a 2.5 GPA.
For more information on the CCAMPIS grant, Click here.
