Learning Without Limits: Kids on Campus Year Two Annual Report

With nearly one in five undergraduate students raising children while working toward a degree, for many, the most difficult part about furthering their education isn’t what happens in the classroom, it’s figuring out where their children can go during those hours.

Balancing childcare, education costs, and other responsibilities — parenting students face many barriers. Kids on Campus, a joint national initiative of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the National Head Start Association (NHSA), is helping address this challenge by supporting partnerships between community colleges and Head Start to increase the number of Head Start programs co-located on campuses. The initiative supports students, families, and communities, ensuring parents and caregivers aren’t forced to choose between staying enrolled and having childcare.

With access to these programs, families are able to stay on a stable path. Parenting students have a safe, qualified environment for their child to attend, and are more likely to stay enrolled. The center being located nearby simplifies scheduling and transportation logistics, and is an access point to the broader on-campus support network, including mental health support, food pantries, and more. And through Head Start, children benefit as well. With access to developmentally appropriate education, screenings, and supportive relationships in a high-quality learning environment, they’re prepped with a strong foundation and room to grow.

In our second annual report, we take a closer look at each of the five active Kids on Campus partnerships, examine the benefits and barriers of these partnerships, break down the financial sustainability of the model, and share firsthand advice from Head Start directors who have navigated this work themselves.

As interest in Kids on Campus continues to grow, our focus is on increasing partnerships, refining implementation, and learning ways to better respond to the needs of parenting students and communities. This includes supporting increased alignment between community college and Head Start systems, using data to inform program design, and offering creative solutions that reflect the realities of today’s students.