SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Mission College’s Child Development Center continues to do what it can for its low-income parents. Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Santa Clara childcare center provides 30 free or reduced meals to its student parents’ children.
The program, over 15 years old, helps provide breakfast, lunch and a snack each day to children from birth to preschool age. It also reduces the cost of childcare for these parents.
“This program is beneficial because it allows our parents to concentrate at work and school, and finish their course work and not to worry about the extra burden of paying for the costs of childcare,” said CDC Director Dr. Karin Navarro.
As part of the program, these parents must also be full-time students at Mission College and carry a 2.0 GPA. Meals and childcare is part of the program. To further reduce the cost of college, many carry financial aid and scholarships and are a part of Mission’s EOPS, TRIO or CalWORKs programs.
Overall the Mission College Child Development program has just under 100 students per year, of which one-third are under this program. CDC abides to higher standards under Title 5 requirements when compared to minimum community requirements (Title 22)
Mission College students use the child development center as a lab (practical training) while taking their courses in the Department of Child Development which offers degrees and certificates in Associate Teaching, Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention Assistant, and Master Teacher.
More information is available at cdc.missioncollege.edu.