Expansion of Early Childhood Education Opportunities Announced
On Friday, June 28, Howard Community College joined Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and the Community Action Council (CAC) of Howard County to announce the expansion of early childhood education opportunities in Howard County, including the on-campus Children’s Learning Center (CLC) that will serve as an essential resource in reducing childcare costs, creating much-needed programming for children under five, and encouraging degree completion among student parents at HCC.
“Howard Community College is proud to meet students where they dream through innovative support services,” said Dr. Daria J. Willis, HCC President. “Partnerships such as this with the Community Action Council of Howard County allow our students to meet their academic goals while preparing the next generation of learners,” said Willis.
Dr. Ball announced an additional $750,000 of investment support for the project as he stated that, “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare options for infants and toddlers across our nation have diminished and become more expensive. While nearly 20,000 children under the age of five live in Howard County, there are only approximately 10,000 childcare spots available to our families.”
The limited space has caused a hardship for many families in Howard County, especially student parents at Howard Community College. Through this partnership with CAC, students at HCC with young children will no longer have to choose between education or childcare. Tracy Broccolino, President of the CAC stated, “We are truly grateful for the partnership with Dr. Willis and our friends at Howard Community College, County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball and the many others who join CAC to support our mission of service.”
This partnership is part of a myriad of innovative services the College has recently provided with the unique needs of student parents in mind such as the Family Study Room in the College’s Library.