One of the biggest concerns of Maureen Wanous when she decided to go back to school was childcare for her daughter Lola

When I was deciding whether or not to go back to school, there were many factors that I needed to consider that every new student faces: how would I pay for school, how many credits to take, which college would I choose. But as a single parent, I had another concern: who would take care of my then 5-year-old daughter? I thought of my parents, but they work; my grandparents, but they have their busy schedule; and I thought of whether to use a child care center or in home child care. I came to find out that finding childcare was going to be my biggest challenge in going back to school. I believe that this is an issue for a lot of parents that are going back to school either because they lost their jobs, they just want to start their careers or they want to provide a better future for their children. How does a parent pay for child care when they have the additional financial burden of paying for school? Some of these parents don’t know what to do with their children and it would be nice if all of the schools in the MnSCU system had a child care center within the school itself. Having on-campus childcare would help both current and prospective students make the decision to continue or start their education.

There are many ways that a parent can get financial help paying for childcare that they might not be aware of. Minnesota has a grant (which you don’t need to pay back!) that a person can apply for which has some guidelines such as: having a child 12 years of age or younger, or 14 years of age or younger if handicapped; needing child care service on a regular basis; the parent must be enrolled at least half-time, taking at least six credits per quarter, semester, or the equivalent; the parent must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory academic progress; and must be income eligible. The application process is fairly easy and takes very little time to find out if you are approved. Elizabeth Prange, Financial Aid Counselor, South Central College – Faribault campus said, “In the last three years on the Fairbault campus, on average only 50 parents applied for and received the grant. Parents may not know that there is a grant available so check with your campus Financial Aid Counselor to see if you qualify.” You can find the application on your school’s financial aid website or at your Financial Aid office. Additionally there may be county assistance available. Check with your local Human Services office to find out more information.

At South Central College – Faribault , there is potential that the campus may lose their child care center because of the need for additional classroom space. I have talked to a few parents that are concerned about this because if they lose the center that would be a deciding factor in whether or not they would continue school. Most of the parents I talked to said that the deciding factor in attending South Central College – Faribault was its on-campus childcare center. It made them feel better that they could stop in any time to check on their children. With the rise in enrollment there is understandably a reason for more classroom space, but couldn’t we figure out a way to keep the daycare center open?

Childcare is an important issue that needs to be addressed throughout the MnSCU system. If we can all work together to make this situation beneficial for all the parties involved, we could come up with a great way to make sure that coming back to school or starting school for parents will be as seamless as possible. Education is a right, not a privilege just to those who fit the “traditional” college mold. Plus, if our children see that their parents can go to school, then they will want to go later in their lives. We could raise the next generation of students that will use the MnSCU system. That’s an investment that we all can live with!