Coppin wins support for parents in school

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— Coppin State University (CSU) has been awarded a $268,608 grant over a four-year period from the U.S. Department of Education for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. CCAMPIS supports the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based childcare services.

“Coppin’s unique strengths are in our cradle-to-career education continuum as well as our multigenerational student body,” said Coppin State University President, Dr. Maria Thompson. “Our Child Development Center was established to address the needs of our students and the present day environment. This CCAMPIS grant strengthens our ability to continue to meet those needs, and we are grateful to the Department of Education for this support.”

“We intend to provide CCAMPIS child care services to low-income student parents that are being provided services by our Student Support Services Center and Veterans Services programs,” said Dondra Davenport, program director of Coppin’s James Edgar McDonald Child Development Center. “Other recruitment efforts will focus on low-income student parents that are already on our waiting list.”

Project goals and measurable objectives cited as part of Coppin’s grant application include increasing access to child care for low-income university students by providing child care subsidy scholarships, auxiliary parenting support, and academic support services.

“Not only does this grant position us to strengthen our support for student parents, but we know that early learning experiences for young children play a significant role in their development,” Dr. Thompson said. “At Coppin, we are continuing to nurture potential by helping to produce future consumers of knowledge with a high motivation for learning.”

The James Edgar McDonald Child Development Center located within the Health and Human Services Building, was established in 2013 to support the needs of students, University faculty, staff, and the immediate community.