TXST awarded $4.7 million CCAMPIS grant to support student parents

Texas State University has been awarded a $4.7 million Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

This transformational investment will fund a comprehensive, research-informed initiative to support low-income undergraduate student parents as they persist toward completing their degrees.

The TXST CCAMPIS Project will directly serve 88 Pell-eligible undergraduate student parents, offering a robust combination of childcare subsidies and postsecondary wraparound support services. The initiative is designed to investigate and improve retention and graduation outcomes for this often-overlooked student population by implementing a holistic model of support alongside rigorous research.

“Student parents face unique barriers in higher education, particularly when navigating full-time coursework while caring for young children,” said Rafael Cordero, grant Principal Investigator and executive director for TRIO Programs in the College of Education.

“The CCAMPIS grant utilizes research to help TXST be responsive to student parents’ stated needs with programs that directly support them,” said co-PI Emily Summers, Ed.D., an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. 

“The research from it can help inform colleges across the country to better understand what student parents need.”

The grant also includes Danielle McEwen (co-PI, Division of Information Technology and TXST College of Education doctoral student) and Renee Perez (co-PI, School of Family and Consumer Sciences). 

Key services provided through TXST CCAMPIS include:

• Monthly childcare subsidies of up to $750 per TXST student parent participant
• One-on-one success coaching and academic support
• Peer and faculty mentoring, tutoring (including 24/7 online options)
• Resource referrals and access to institutional/community wraparound services
• Parent education, mental health support and well-being services
• Single parent networking, student parent support groups and professional development/workforce opportunities
• Financial literacy training and micro-credentialing badges
• A 2Gen approach that benefits both student parents and their children

In addition to direct services, the project includes a participant-centered research component that will help inform TXST efforts in creating and maintaining responsive programming that responsively meets the evolving needs of student parents.

By aligning university resources with community partnerships, including Workforce Solutions Rural Capitol Area, the TXST CCAMPIS grant exemplifies what is possible when research and innovation come together in the service of student success.