When I was accepted to graduate school, I had no idea how I was going to manage. I was a newly separated parent, and I moved to DeKalb with two part-time jobs and a small journalism portfolio.
When I looked at the daily rate for campus child care, my heart sank. I could afford a day — maybe two — if I scheduled classes strategically. Then I found a page about support for students.
After a quick meeting, I learned I qualified to have all of my child care costs covered while completing my master’s degree.
This was thanks to two programs: the Preschool for All Expansion Program and a grant called Child Care Access Means Parents in School, or CCAMPIS.
I found out today that the CCAMPIS program has been eliminated at NIU because the federal government cut funding.
This confuses me.
Without the grant, it is likely my wages would have remained stagnant. Before earning my master's degree, I never made more than $16 an hour.
Now, I teach at the university, which gives me a flexible schedule for my children. I live in the community and own my home. My education was my fastest path to self-sufficiency.
Hopefully, parents will be able to rely on other safety nets, such as 4-C. The center's staff cares deeply about its families and knows the community and its resources.
DeKalb has already been identified as a preschool desert. Why make it harder for parents to make economic progress?
I'm Nia Norris, and this is my perspective.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
