The Cougar Experience is about what we do as a division and how our efforts positively affect our students and the University of Houston (UH) community. We create and foster environments to make our students feel welcome. We connect our students with resources to help them with what they need to support them academically, socially, and financially. Our role as the Division of Student Affairs (DSA) is to ensure we meet students where they are and engage with them to learn, grow, inquire, and thrive while benefiting from belonging to something larger than themselves. When we support students, we strive to help them to become successful.
The Division of Student Affairs recognizes that while students are pursuing their education, sometimes struggles in life can disrupt their progress. There are often issues that cause students to leave college or dissuade them from pursuing their educational goals that are no fault of their own. Issues like being a parent and not having access to childcare can present barriers to education for some students. Our Children Learning Centers (CLC) are available to support students who are parents by providing a nationally accredited learning environment for children, ages 3 months to 5 years old. The CLC recognized that some families may need additional support and implemented a grant program called, “Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS).” This grant alleviates obstacles some parents may face while seeking a college degree. In 2018 the U.S. Department of Education awarded Children Learning Centers (CLC) a 2.2 million four-year grant to support UH student parents at CLC with childcare tuition costs. This is a major factor because according to the Institute for Woman’s Policy and Research, affordable quality childcare is crucial to the postsecondary success of the 48 million undergraduate students raising dependent children.
“We know that childcare availability is a struggle for most families. Accessing programs that are affordable and meet quality standards can be an even bigger struggle. At CLC, we look for funding opportunities that we can draw upon to offset the costs for student parents. UH student parents are first to be considered for CLC enrollment, making our program not only affordable but also accessible for those pursuing a degree here on campus. We understand the impact that these tuition assistance programs have on parents obtaining a postsecondary degree; without these support services many of them would not be able to afford an education for either themselves or their children. Our program enables both.”- Jennifer Skopal, director, Children Learning Centers.
Each of the four years during the grant period, our CLC has been awarded $555,989 to support our students who are parents. Under the CCAMPIS grant, schools can apply for 1 % of the total amount of Pell grants awarded to their student body. At UH, that computes to be approximately $555,000 annually. The CCAMPIS is a highly competitive grant and UH is one of only six colleges and universities in Texas that have been funded. “This grant makes quality childcare not only accessible but affordable for our college students," said Jennifer Skopal, director of the Children Learning Centers. We are open five days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and they [student parents] know they can bring their child to campus, and then they can focus on school. Receiving this highly competitive grant is meaningful support in our mission to provide exemplary early childhood services to UH families. While the university focuses on attracting top students, we provide these support services allowing them to put forth everything they have into their education to be the best they can be in school with the confidence that their children are being well cared for right here on campus. We see the impact and the benefits every day.”
