Surprise! At HCC

Good news. Believe it or not, there is some. This tweet from HCC President Daria Willis clued me in.

We are one step closer to reopening our children’s learning center @HowardCC thanks to the $1 million CCAMPIS award from the US Department of Ed!

Howard Community College announced the closure of their Children’s Learning Center in the summer of 2020. Area parents whose children had been attending the Center expressed their dismay.  When then-President Kate Hetherington made the announcement, it was hard for me to tell if it came as a result of the numerous challenges posed by the COVID pandemic, or whether it was a strategic decision. In other words: that HCC didn’t believe it was within its core mission to be providing childcare. Her op ed piece for the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times touched on both, along with financial challenges.

So I was a bit surprised to see the announcement that HCC will be bringing back a childcare center, but I was  also pleased. I remember juggling a job, childcare options, and classes at Towson University in Early Childhood Education. Everything about that situation just screamed: frazzled. Investing in high quality child care for its students will make it possible for them to do better and go farther, not to mention providing a better future for their children.

I touched on this concept earlier this year and the announcement about the childcare center brings it to mind again. It seems to me* that HCC is doing a lot to ensure that their primary focus is to meet the needs of the kind of students they have. The image of HCC as the provider of amenities to the community at large has required a substantial investment of time and money through the years.

So what if you took a good chunk of that time and money and focused it on programs specifically tailored for students? Apprenticeship opportunities. Plans for a workforce development and skilled trades center. A food pantry to support students who are experiencing food insecurity. A family-friendly study space. All of those things make an HCC education more valuable and more accessible.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the new child care center is not simply a reincarnation of the former Children’s Learning Center. My guess is that it will be created with the needs of the student body first and foremost. I think that’s fabulous. From the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood, this statement on Community says it best:

While high-quality child care and early education most directly affect children and their families, they are critical for any community to prosper. Parents and family members who have access to high-quality, consistent, affordable child care and early learning programs are better able to pursue employment and educational opportunities. Children who are in high-quality programs are better prepared when entering kindergarten and throughout their school years. They are more likely to become healthier, better educated adults who will make their own contributions to the community for years to come.

Learn more about the child care announcement here.

*”It seems to me” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It’s a strong indicator that this piece is commentary and not straight factual reporting.