An estimated 20 Quincy College students will get free childcare this semester thanks to a federal grant awarded to the college by the US Department of Education to help lower-income students who are parents.
The college anticipates expanding the program over the next two years, according to spokesman Scott Pickard. The school will receive $285,000 over that time from the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program, he said.
“Accessible, convenient, high-quality day care can make a difference in our students’ ability to pursue their educational goals,” Quincy College President Richard DeCristofaro said in a press release. “This grant represents a creative solution to a problem that too often forces students to choose between their education and their family.”
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Eligible Quincy College students will be able to send their children to either the childcare center at the South Shore YMCA or the Wollaston Child Care Center, both state-certified programs in Quincy, Pickard said.
Children must be between 2.9 and 5 years old, although Pickard said the plan is to expand eligibility to both younger children and those attending after-school programs.
More information and applications are available from Quincy College.
Johanna Seltz can be reached at seltzjohanna@gmail.com.