Dallas College will launch a drop-in childcare option for students attending its El Centro campus in the spring 2023 semester, courtesy of a $100,000 grant from The Dallas Foundation.
The program will eliminate the expense of child care, which can be an obstacle to parents attending college while their children are young. Seed funding from Dallas College Foundation’s new Dallas Foundation Community Impact Grant will enable the program to launch in January 2023.
“Everyone deserves an equitable opportunity to unlock economic potential, and this project ensures that student-parents get that opportunity,” said Drexell Owusu, chief impact officer for The Dallas Foundation.
A Brandeis University study showed that low-income parents often spend over one-quarter of their annual income to acquire center-based child care. College students are disproportionately affected by the cost of child care.
Many student-parents opted not to return to the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic because they needed to tend to their parenting and caretaking responsibilities. In the wake of daycare closures and the rising costs of reliable child care, it simply was not possible for many parenting students.
“This project eliminates another barrier to post-secondary access by ensuring that student-parents get an honest chance at enhancing their journeys at Dallas College,” said Dr. Carlos Cruz, associate vice chancellor of student well-being and social support at Dallas College.
Accessible and reliable, no-cost drop-in child care will be provided through a partnership with the T. Boone Pickens YMCA facility in downtown Dallas. The facility will promote early childhood development and provide more positive learning experiences for children of Dallas College students.
The program’s initial implementation will accommodate up to 38 children at one time. Over the course of the initial spring semester, it is estimated that 75 children will be participating in the program.
The Dallas College Foundation thanked The Dallas Foundation, saying it is “a leader in advancing equity and opportunity in our community.”
“We are honored to be counted among the winners of their Community Impact Grant competition and to help Dallas College remove a major barrier to student success,” said Josh Skolnick, executive director of Dallas College Foundation.
Dallas College plans to scale the Young Scholars Program to other campuses in a financially sustainable manner in the future.
