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Cossatot Community College |
$471,000 Childcare Grant Received by CCCUA
Release Date: 03 Oct 2003
DE QUEEN – Frank G. Adams, Chancellor of Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas, announced today that the United States Department of Education has notified the College that it will receive a grant of $471,000 for the purpose of building, developing and administering childcare facilities at the College’s main campus at De Queen and its Ashdown Extension.
“The award comes at a very opportune time for our students who are single parents,” Adams said. “We are very grateful to Fourth District Congressional Representative Mike Ross and U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln for their efforts to ensure that this grant was awarded.”
Vice-Chancellor Kristin Bowden added, “Too many times in the past, we’ve had students who had to drop out because they didn’t have reliable access to child care. While this grant won’t totally eliminate that problem, it will certainly alleviate some of the immediate concerns we have about students dropping out for this reason.” Bowden stated that Robbie McKelvy, the College’s University Transfer Division Chair, will administer the grant.
McKelvy said, “This grant will assure the continued development of the Childcare Development Certificate and the Early Childhood Education Degree, because it provides a convenient place for students to do their internships, and gives other students in the program a safe place to leave their children while they attend classes.”
The grant is part of a larger project to build and equip two childcare centers by August 1, 2004. McKelvy said, “We hope to be ready to accept children into the center by mid-July of next year, but not later than August 1.”
Adams went on to report significant growth in the College’s past enrollment, and predicted continued growth. “We showed a 12% growth in enrollment between fall 2002 and 2003, and our projections state that we will have around 1,250 students by the fall of 2005,” he said. “This means that we will have even more need for these childcare centers than we do now.” The College reported an enrollment of 1,062 students to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education on September 10, compared to the 947 reported in September, 2002.
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