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Universities should provide students access to child care

A recent report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found access to child care for college students has decreased in the past decade, particularly at community colleges. The percentage of public four-year universities offering child care declined from 54 percent in 2002 to 51 percent in 2013, while the percentage of two-year colleges offering such services declined from 53 percent in 2004 to 46 percent in 2013.

The decrease in child care access, though small, could in turn decrease access to higher education, particularly for women with young children. This lack of access is especially problematic since working mothers are disproportionately represented among the working poor in America. Most of these women work low-paying jobs because they do not have enough education to hold higher-paying positions. Increasing child care access could remove one of the barriers which stand in the way of women with children earning college degrees.

Child care availability is not the only factor which could limit these women’s access to education. Other barriers include the actual cost of tuition and the difficulty of coordinating class schedules with work hours. At a time when universities are facing greater scrutiny for a lack of low-income student enrollment, offering childcare could affect those percentages.

The report noted that of college students who are parents, 45 percent attend public two-year colleges, while about 23 percent attend public or private four-year institutions. Students with children may be more likely to choose a community college because the shorter-term commitment would be more manageable, especially if they are working and if they are single. Even though students who are parents might be more likely to attend community colleges, access to childcare is equally important at four-year institutions and community colleges, because it should not be a factor which limits students to one option or the other.

The report suggests federal funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents In School grant program should be increased, because this money can be used by campuses to establish or expand child care programs and provide students with subsidies for childcare. Providing childcare to students could be efficiently accomplished by folding it into faculty and staff childcare, which is equally essential for a college to provide. The academic division of University operates two child care centers which cater to faculty, staff and student needs.

The report also noted that the number of parents in college overall is growing, and colleges ought to meet the rising demand for childcare services. Greater access to education is a key element of social mobility; parents who want to increase their education should have the opportunity to provide more for their children.

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