As childcare costs continue to rise nationwide, the UW-Madison Child Care Tuition Assistance Program aims to increase support for student parents striving for degree completion, according to CCTAP Parent Resource Specialist Jen Templin.
Since its launch in 1985, CCTAP has provided monetary awards to UW-Madison student parents to offset the steep cost of childcare and ensure the children be placed in high-quality, accredited programs, Templin explained. Roughly 250 parents who are enrolled in credits and are income-eligible, which Templin said is measured by state poverty guidelines, receive funding each year.
CCTAP Director Cigdem Unal presented the program’s budget at the Student Services Finance Committee meeting Feb. 1, describing to committee members the benefits of providing student parents with affordable and accredited childcare. The organization asked for $1,082,143 in funds for the next fiscal year, the same amount they asked for last year.
Giving parents access to high-quality care is one of the best parts of the program, Templin said. She explained that without funding from CCTAP, student parents might have to place their children in cheaper, “not-so-great” childcare programs.
Because rapid brain development occurs from birth to five years, Templin explained, consistently high-quality programs make a big difference for children.
“We’re able to help those children have the best possible start to a life, which I think is pretty amazing,” Templin said.
Unal also stressed at the meeting the value of having student parents attending UW-Madison, something she said brings socioeconomic diversity to the classroom and enriches discussion. Templin echoed the sentiment, saying CCTAP funding allows these students to stay in school and contribute to the university through study and research.
Templin said she hopes CCTAP will still be able to cover roughly 40 to 50 percent of student parents’ childcare costs as that cost continues to rise, because the funding means a lot to them and their families.
“I can definitely see how [CCTAP] is changing their lives,” Templin said. “They’re continuing their education and getting their degrees so that they can go out into the workforce and make lots of money for their family, which is fantastic.”
