North Central Michigan College receives both local and federal grants for its childcare and preschool program

North Central Michigan College has received substantial funding from various sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, for its Child Care and Preschool Program.

$490,569 is coming from the U.S. Department of Education’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School program. North Central Michigan College was the only Michigan awardee of these funds among 34 total awardees nationwide. The purpose of the grant is to rid student parents of the barriers that keep them from pursuing their education. The renewable funding can be used to subsidize childcare costs. This funding from the Department of Education will make up more than half of the Child Care Initiative’s costs for the next year.

According to an article on North Central Michigan College’s website, Jennifer Wixson, who is the early childhood education program coordinator at NCMC, said, “Attending college while raising young children is no easy feat. Parents face a unique set of circumstances that affect their academic persistence and completion. Our first step will be identifying who our student parents are so that we can connect them with resources to support them on their path toward graduation.”

The rest of the necessary funding for the Child Care and Preschool Program is coming in part from the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, which will include funding to establish the physical location for the NCMC Child Care and Preschool Program. 

Executive director of the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation David (DJ) Jones said, “Child care is a critical need in our community. We are pleased to continue our support of North Central’s dedicated initiative to find solutions that are sustainable.” 

There are four goals for this phase of the program, according to Wixson. They include giving student parents peace of mind that their children are safe and well cared for while they pursue their education, allowing low-income student parents access to quality childcare through sliding-scale fees, providing parent engagement opportunities, and promoting development to increase future opportunities.

For more information about North Central Michigan College, visit the school’s website.