Children's Learning Center Receives Funding to Help Student-Parents

Pennsylvania College of Technology's Children's Learning Center has been approved for funding to help provide child-care access to its students as part of a four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Generally referred to as a "CCAMPIS" grant, which stands for "Child Care Access Means Parents in School," the funding comes from the department's Office of Higher Education, specifically for helping to make high-quality child care available to parents who are college students. Penn College will receive $65,202 for each of four years, beginning in October.

This is the third time the Children's Learning Center has been approved for the grant.

U.S. Rep. Christopher P. Carney, D-10, visited the center Aug. 21 to meet with some of the parents who have benefited from the grants while attending Penn College.

The funding is used to help subsidize the cost of child care for Penn College students whose income makes them eligible for federal Pell Grants. Those students receive discounts ranging from 25-75 percent off regular fees, depending on their income as reported to the Financial Aid Office.

"These hard-working students are grateful for this assistance," said Karen Woland Payne, director of the Children's Learning Center.

Part of the money is also used to fund a part-time teacher assistant who spends time in all four of the center's classrooms to allow the regular staff time for lesson planning, meetings with students and parents, and working on child assessments.

The center provides child care and early education for the children of Penn College students and employees. It also offers a working laboratory for students in the early childhood education department and other majors.

The center is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools through its Commission on Elementary Schools, and by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It has received the highest rating four stars from the Pennsylvania Keystone STARS program.

For more information about the Children's Learning Center at Penn College, visit on the Web or call 570-320-8026. For more information about Penn College, visit online , e-mail or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

For more information about grant-funding opportunities, faculty and staff may contact the Grants and Contracts Office at ext. 7562 or through its Web portal.