College Child Care Program Gets $500M Boost: Grants Up to $2M Annually to Help Student Parents Finish Degrees

The Child Care Access Means Parents In Schools Reauthorization Act, or CCAMPIS Reauthorization Act, is essentially a major funding injection and update for a program designed to tackle one of the biggest roadblocks for students with kids: finding affordable, reliable child care while they’re in class. Starting in Fiscal Year 2026, Congress authorized $500 million annually through 2031 to fund grants that help colleges and universities provide child care services to their student parents. The goal is straightforward: keep parents enrolled and on track to graduate.

Who Gets the Money and How Much?

This isn’t a free-for-all; the money is targeted. The Secretary of Education can award five-year grants to eligible institutions—colleges where at least 150 students were eligible for Federal Pell Grants in the most recent award year. The funding is substantial, designed to make a real difference: grants must be at least $75,000 annually, but they can go up to $2 million per year for a single institution. This structure ensures that schools serving a significant population of low-income students are prioritized, recognizing that child care costs hit these students the hardest. Institutions must also show they won't raise tuition or fees just because they got this grant money, which is a key protection for student budgets.

The Eligibility Check: Who Gets the Subsidized Care?

If you’re a student parent, you qualify for this subsidized care if you have one or more dependent children and are enrolled at a grant-receiving institution. Crucially, you must also be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant. This means the program is laser-focused on helping those with the highest financial need. Even if you didn't actually receive a Pell Grant (maybe you’re a grad student, or you didn't finish the FAFSA), if you meet the financial criteria, you’re still covered. This provision is important because it recognizes that financial need exists even if bureaucratic hurdles prevent the actual grant from being awarded.

Quality Control and Facility Limits

One of the strongest parts of this reauthorization is the focus on quality. Within three years of receiving the grant, the child care program must meet high standards—like those set by Head Start, or be accredited by a national early childhood body, or rank in the top tier of the state’s quality rating system. This is a big win for student parents, ensuring they aren't just getting cheap care, but good care. However, there’s a practical limitation that might cause capacity issues down the road: the money cannot be used to build new facilities. It can only be used for renovations or repairs needed for health and safety. While this keeps the funds focused on direct services, it means institutions with no existing space will struggle to expand their child care programs to meet the demand that this funding will likely create.

The Real-World Impact on Student Parents

For a student parent juggling classes, work, and family—say, an adult student training to be an electrician or a single mom studying nursing—this funding is a game-changer. It means the difference between dropping out because tuition and child care combined are impossible, and actually finishing the degree. Institutions are required to use the funds for things like starting on-campus programs, offering subsidized care on a sliding fee scale, or even helping with before- and after-school care. This flexibility allows colleges to tailor the solution to their student body's needs. Furthermore, the bill mandates extensive annual reporting on student demographics, retention, and graduation rates, which means we’ll finally get better data on how effective this targeted support truly is in helping student parents succeed.