Tri-County Technical College receives $378,680 grant for child care
October 13, 2020
Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) has received a $378,680 Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, which will be paid over four years, aims to increase college retention and completion rates for low-income student parents by providing them with access to affordable and flexible child care services.
TCTC serves more than 9,000 students annually, the majority of whom reside in the Anderson, Oconee and Pickens region, where roughly 15% of the population lives below the poverty line. One third of TCTC students identify as low-income. In fact, in fiscal year 2019, 35% of TCTC students received a Federal Pell Grant, a needs-based grant for low-income undergraduate students, averaging $4,504.
“At Tri-County, we promote economic diversity and prosperity in the communities we serve, and we measure our success by our ability to ensure students earn a high-quality credential that leads to a family-sustaining wage,” said TCTC President Galen DeHay, Ph.D. “While Federal Pell Grants have a tremendous impact on our students, we know that tuition and fees don’t represent all of the costs a student incurs when they go to college. Lack of affordable child care presents a significant barrier for students, especially those who are single and first generation.”
The CCAMPIS program at TCTC will use a sliding-fee scale similar to the SC Voucher Program. TCTC will make direct payments to approved childcare providers, and student parents will be responsible for copayments of approximately $6-$20 per child per week, depending on their income. TCTC anticipates it will be able to serve 90 low-income student parents each year for four years starting in spring 2021.
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities.
