By: Champagne Morris
One of the things that has become painfully obvious during the COVID pandemic is the impact that working parents have had and the need for reliable childcare.
Most community college students are living locally and many of them have children. Community college students nationwide need help with childcare so that they can attend class.
According to Calhoun’s website, the students enrolled at Calhoun for Fall semester in 2020 showed that over half the students enrolled were female, and 22% of these students were ages 22-29. Homepage – Calhoun Community College
A current junior student here at Calhoun agreed that childcare on campus would help her while she continues to earn her degree.
“Childcare is definitely a problem for me. Especially being far away from home with no relatives. If Calhoun were able to offer me childcare, that would better my chances of being able to complete my field of study. Having childcare at Calhoun would also give me the advantage of studying and being able to utilize study groups.”
Having childcare on campus could not only help more student parents graduate, but it could also make life simpler for them and save them money on commuting back and forth from childcare to school, back to childcare, and home again. It would also give them a peace of mind knowing their children are close to them in case of an emergency.
I spoke with the Interim Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences. Dr. Donna Estill
about the need for on campus childcare and how it could help the students.
“We are currently discussing various options for providing this service, and we have some support from alumni of Calhoun who were here when we did have a childcare facility. That facility helped a number of them get through Calhoun’s programs, and they want to see it happen again,” Estill said.
One way parent students can help start this program is by being vocal about this need to administration.
“Administrators need to see the scope of the problem (how many students have children, for example?), what kinds of problems students face with the current childcare situation, and how having a childcare facility on campus would help. We have many students who are parents, and childcare often gets in the way of their doing work. If their childcare providers are absent, they can’t come to class, and then they get behind, ” Estill said..
All parent students know that childcare is expensive.
“If Calhoun could subsidize childcare, people who can’t afford childcare might be able to attend. Childcare would also help students in our Child Development program. Students need to be able to put into practice what they are learning in the classroom, and currently, we rely on their placement in local childcare facilities to help them practice. However, those facilities may not be doing what the CHD instructor is teaching; it would help to have some input on what happens in the facility and have students participate,” Estill said.
IF you are a parent student, let Calhoun know that you would like a child care option available from Calhoun. Contact Dr. Estill or someone in administration with your support.