Campus Childcare And The Influence Of The Child Careaccess Means Parents In School (Ccampis) Grant On Student-Parent Success At Communiity Colleges

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Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2013

Department

Community College Leadership Program

Program

Doctor of Education

Citation of Original Publication

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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.

Abstract

Attrition, or voluntarily leaving an educational institution before completion, is a critical issue at community colleges. Extensive research has been conducted and theories on student attrition have evolved. Previous findings have mostly been relevant to the traditional student population. The purpose of this study was to explore how campus childcare, coupled with the Childcare Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant, has influenced the ability for the nontraditional population of student-parents to be successful in completing their community college education. This study examined student-parent academic success as indicated by grade point average, grade improvement, persistence, and completion as a result of this support. Using Bean and Metzner's (1985) Conceptual Model of Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition, questions to participants were framed to measure if the environmental support of campus childcare and the CCAMPIS grant influenced student-parent success. Research on the environmental support of campus childcare, combined with assistance with the cost from the CCAMPIS grant, was a reasonable way to identify the relevance of this service provided at some community colleges and give voice to those not often heard in attrition research. Survey research methodology was employed for the purpose of this research. Two groups were questioned--student-parents and directors of community college campus childcare centers--with questionnaires adapted from previous campus childcare studies. Questionnaire data were solicited from the accessible population of 134 community colleges that were identified as both recipients of the CCAMPIS grant and providing childcare to student-parents. Fifty-five directors and 82 student-parents responded to questionnaires distributed to the accessible population. Findings of this study indicated that without campus childcare, coupled with the receipt of CCAMPIS funds to assist with the cost of childcare, student-parents would not be able to pursue their academic goals. Directors of campus childcare centers concurred that having childcare available on campus and receiving the CCAMPIS grant aided retention, academic improvement, and graduation of student-parents. Given these findings, it can be concluded that the most likely barrier to supporting the academic success of student-parents is the lack of available and affordable childcare on community college campuses. These findings concur with the findings of previous campus childcare studies when compared with the present study.