WORCESTER, MA – October 29, 2026 – Quinsigamond Community College was recently awarded a Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) grant of more than $1.9 million. The College will use the grant to fund its Parent Success at QCC (PSQ) program, which will provide access to childcare for eligible students.
“At QCC, over 30% of students are parents, many of whom work full-time and part-time jobs,” QCC President Dr. Luis Pedraja said. “Due to the high cost of living and low availability of childcare, these students are often in the difficult position of missing classes to take care of family responsibilities. The PSQ program will help alleviate this challenge for many parents by providing childcare assistance and support services, enabling them to remain enrolled, complete their studies, and graduate. In turn, they will be better positioned to advance their careers, improve their families’ quality of life, and contribute meaningfully to their communities."
PSQ is a collaborative initiative that brings together many areas of QCC such as Parenting Student Support Services, The Children’s School: Early Childhood Education Lab School, and various other departments of the college. The program will also work with licensed childcare providers in the community to subsidize care for eligible students.
“Having to be in two places at the same time has been difficult,” a recently surveyed QCC student said. “…I have to drop my child off at school and be at clinical during my nursing rotation at nearly the same time.”
Associate Director of Parenting Student Support Michelle Brennan has seen studies showing that over 50% of student parents who don’t receive proper support end up leaving school without a degree. However, at QCC, 80% of students Brennan has supported have continued their education.
“Our goal is to empower these students who are working incredibly hard to improve the lives of their families,” Brennan said. “We’ve seen that quality childcare and education promote upward mobility and increased earnings for parents, and eventually for their children as well. "
The PSQ program will utilize a case management approach to connect students with community resources, build peer support networks, and provide workshops covering topics such as child development and time management.
According to Brennan, services will be integrated to benefit the entire family. She described the “whole-family” model used in education and social services, which offers support to both parents and children to foster educational success and financial security.
“When we run a workshop on a topic such as financial literacy, children will have a parallel activity and then come back together for a family conversation on the topic. We’re helping them build the skills to plan for their families together,” Brennan said.
Brennan also noted that funding the PSQ program through CCAMPIS will help fill in the gaps that are often present between the K-12 and higher education schedules.
“Finding childcare when QCC is in session and my daughter does not have school is super hard, whether that be school vacations, professional development days, or snow days. I have missed several days of school as a result,” said another QCC student.
The four-year CCAMPIS grant is issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (HHS/ACF) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
# # #