Campus Child Care Bill (Child Care Access Means Parents in School Act, S. 1151 and H.R. 3926)

Fact sheet in support of S.1151

Win #1: Helps student parents stay in college, graduate and find on-going employment.

Win #2: Helps children develop, and succeed in school and later life.

Win #3: Success of parents and their children leads to powerful economic benefits for society.

"The typical college student is no longer an 18-year-old high school graduate. Increasingly, nontraditional students--older, with children and various job and life experiences--are filling the ranks of college classes. These students recognize the importance of college to future success.

But these students face new barriers unheard of in earlier times. Many are parents and must provide for their children while in school. Campus-based child care is a vital necessity for parents attending college."

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn),
Co-sponsor

"If we want to fulfill the goals of the welfare reform act and ensure that families are able to remain financially self-sufficient, we need to ensure that low-income parents have access to higher education and affordable and convenient child care.

This is especially important in today's economy, where people need to continuously train and retrain in order to meet the demands of high-tech jobs"

Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Me),
Co-sponsor

In spite of its demonstrated effectiveness, campus child care today serves only a small percentage of the need.

The CAMPUS bill, an amendment to the Higher Education Act, would authorize $60 million nationally to support the start-up or operation of campus based child care services. It would allow a college or university to apply to the Secretary of Education for funding equivalent to one percent of its prior years' Pell Grant expenditure.

According to Senator Snowe, "Higher education is crucial to getting a job in today's global market. More than half of the new jobs that have been and will be created between 1995 and 2000 will require education beyond high school. While nearly 40 percent of American jobs are currently in low skill occupations, only 27 percent will fall in that category by the year 2000. Getting the skills necessary to meet these market demands simply requires higher and higher levels of educational achievement." As yesterday's typist is out of work today without computer skills, so today's lab technician will be jobless tomorrow without the communication and thinking skills necessary to adapt in a changing world. Our economy needs these high level skills. And they are developed most effectively in our nation's colleges and universities.

Welfare reform appropriately emphasizes work but, according to Senator Dodd, in its wake "new pressures are coming to bear on low-income student parents. With the work requirements of the welfare reform bill, it will become increasingly difficult for students who are low-income parents to obtain child care funds." Millions of dollars in child care funding will no longer be available. Yet working students, evening students participating in daytime work programs, former PA recipients now working, PA recipients not yet assigned to work programs, or deferred, or ineligible due to time limits--each of these will need campus child care to attend college and find a job they can keep.

Campus child care programs are at the intersection of two of the most powerful, cost beneficial, engines to our economy--higher education and quality child care. "Studies are clear," Senator Dodd states, "public assistance recipients who attend college are significantly more likely to leave welfare permanently." Graduation rates of student parents with child care are higher. They are more likely to remain in school, graduate in fewer years, have a higher grade point average and demonstrate higher rates of persistence when their children are cared for and educated in a quality campus-based children's program. And children generate $3 to $7 for every $1 invested in quality care. They are retained in grade less often, need less special education, fewer social services and graduate more often. They have significantly enhanced lifetime earnings, lower rates of unemployment, fewer teen pregnancies, lower crime rates and fewer incarcerations.

A Win for Student Parents - A Win for Children - A Win for the EconomySupport the CAMPUS Child Care Bill (S. 1151 and H.R. 3926)(The Dodd/Snowe, Child Care Access Means Parents in School Act)

For more information contact:

Todd Boressoff, Advocacy Chairperson
National Coalition for Campus Children's Centers
199 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
(212) 346-8260 fax: (212) 346-8258
email: TBoressoff@bmcc.cuny.edu

Research About Higher Education Shows

Over a 40 year of work life, a City University of New York graduate's income is $230,000 higher (associate degree) and $690,000 higher (BA), than a high school graduate. [1]
Each year these graduates pay $414 million more in just state and local taxes than if they had not gone to college. [1]
There is a positive correlation between higher education and re-employment. Education is the main vehicle for insuring employment at wages sufficient to sustain families. [2]
The average community college student earns 1 0% more than non attendees even without graduating . [3]
Even limited college education increases women's earnings by $2.24 per hour. [4]
Nationally in 1992 the average 5 BA graduate earned 74% more than a HS graduate ($32,629 vs. $18,737). [5]
A college education moves welfare mothers into jobs. [6]
Low levels of education lead to dead end jobs and poverty. [7]
Jobs which pay a living wage require a college education as preparation. [8]

Research About Quality Child Care Shows

Children receiving quality child care have significantly higher earnings at age 27, significantly higher rate of high school graduation, and significantly lower need for special education and costly social services.
They are retained in grade less often, arrested less frequently, more successful on cognitive and IQ tests, more motivated and committed to school, and more skillful in social situations. [9]
Society benefits through cost savings of $3 to $7 for every $1 invested, enhanced lifetime earning of both children and parents, reduced unemployment for quality child care graduates, fewer teen pregnancies, lower crime rates, less delinquency and fewer incarcerations. [9]

Research About Campus Child Care Shows

Graduation rates of student parents receiving campus child care are higher than campus counterparts. [10]
Student parents are more likely to remain in school and graduate in fewer years. [10]
They demonstrate higher rates of persistence. [10]
Their grade point average is higher. [10]
Student parents indicate availability of child care as critical to their decision to enroll in college. [11]

1. Investing in The Future, 1995, CUNY.

2. Dislocated Workers in New York City, Menzi and Huang, Workforce Development Center, 1993.

3. Kane and Rouse, The American Economic Review, 1985.

4. Hartmann and Spalter-Roth, Institute for Women's Policy Research, 1992.

5. US Census Bureau, 1992

6. From Welfare to Independence: The College Option, Gittell, 1990 and Building Human Capital, Gittel, 1993.

7. Newman, The Brookings Review, 1995.

8. The Wall Street Journal, 1994.

9. The Future of Children: Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Programs (compilation of numerous research studies), Center for the Future of Children, 1995.

10. Impact of Campus-Based Child Care on Academic Success of Student Parents at SUNY Community Colleges, 1989 and Child Development Center Participant Analyses, Bronx Community College, 1994.

11. Child Care Council at the City University, 1998.

Full individual citations available on request.
T. Boressoff (212) 346-8260 or TBoressoff@bmcc.cuny.edu.

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