Student-parents get help reaching goals
Anne Arundel Community College offers free child care to low-income students
Most college students have a lot on their plates. But college students with children are tasked with juggling notebooks with naptime.
Elizabeth Benge, 26, is one of them.
After her divorce, Benge decided to go back to college. The mother of two children under age 6 hadn’t been in a classroom since high school but saw an opportunity to learn new skills at Anne Arundel Community College.
“I finally got the chance to go back to school,” she said. “I’m hoping to figure out what I want to do.”
Student-parents represent a growing population at the college, where the average student is 25-years-old.
Now, thanks to a federal grant designed to help colleges and universities expand child care services, the college this semester will start offering free daytime and evening care to low-income students. More than $98,000 will be pumped into the program.
“The main goal of this is to help keep student-parents in school and moving toward graduation and their goals,” said See CHILD CARE, page 2
Elizabeth Benge, 26, is one of them.
After her divorce, Benge decided to go back to college. The mother of two children under age 6 hadn’t been in a classroom since high school but saw an opportunity to learn new skills at Anne Arundel Community College.
“I finally got the chance to go back to school,” she said. “I’m hoping to figure out what I want to do.”
Student-parents represent a growing population at the college, where the average student is 25-years-old.
Now, thanks to a federal grant designed to help colleges and universities expand child care services, the college this semester will start offering free daytime and evening care to low-income students. More than $98,000 will be pumped into the program.
“The main goal of this is to help keep student-parents in school and moving toward graduation and their goals,” said See CHILD CARE, page 2
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