Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine have announced that Virginia State University will receive $1.45 million to assist student-parents (students who are also parents) with child care costs. The funds, which will be distributed over the next four years, will be used to offer student-parents access to affordable child care services both on and off campus.

The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to support low-income parents who are pursuing postsecondary education, according to university officials.

“We believe that education can alter the trajectory of the lives of our students — particularly first-generation students,” said Regina Barnett-Tyler, principal investigator for the grant and VSU’s as- sistant vice president of Student Success and Engagement. “To have a program that offers this assistance reaffirms our commitment to being an access and opportunity university and to providing an atmosphere conducive to learning, growing and transforming for all — no matter their circumstances or background.”

The targeted start date for the CCA-MPIS program assistance for the spring semester is January 2023. Current VSU student-parents who are enrolled full time and who need financial support for child care should email the Department of Student Success and Engagement at dsse@vsu.edu.

Virginia State University is one of four schools to receive the CCAMPIS grant funding. Other schools to receive CCAMPIS grant funding are Norfolk State University, Tidewater Community College, and Germanna Community College.