About Kids On Campus

Project Overview

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the National Head Start Association (NHSA) are partnering in a five-year project to achieve the goal of increasing the number of Head Start programs co-located on community college campuses. The joint project offers a practical, commonsense approach to solving challenges in both sectors:

  • Qualifying student parents receive free, high quality child care and early education for their families from the Head Start program.

  • Colleges obtain an expert partner to operate on-site child care from Head Start, which also has the ability to apply funding to retrofit buildings on campus.

  • Head Start programs are located near their target populations and receive free or drastically reduced rent, which can be used as an in kind donation toward their required 20% match of federal funds – which many programs struggle to do.

  • Head Start families have an option to enroll in the college and may even receive support from Head Start to do so, if receiving a GED or credential is part of their family goals.

  • Many programs of study on community college campuses – from early childhood to medical and dental assistants to culinary and HVAC – have the opportunity to partner with Head Start to provide the program with services of students in a work-learning partnership.

Benefits of Head Start-Community College Partnerships

For Children and Families:

  • Access to on-campus, free for families, high-quality, early learning opportunities

  • Benefit from personalized support services tailored to the needs of parents, children, and family members

  • Explore flexible full- or part-time job opportunities

  • Witness higher education in action, inspiring future academic endeavors for children and all family members

For Head Start Programs:

  • Increase Head Start enrollment and improve attendance rates

  • Fulfill “in-kind” and “non-federal share” contribution requirements effectively

  • Leverage college departments and resources to reduce program costs, maximizing efficiency

  • Develop diverse workforce and training pathways to meet community needs

For Community Colleges:

  • Foster persistence and completion among students with young children, promoting educational success

  • Address students’ basic needs to ensure a conducive learning environment

  • Access to high-quality early learning programs and practicum sites for enriched learning experiences

  • Recruit prospective student parents and their families, fostering a diverse and inclusive campus community

Meet the Team

About The Partners

National Head Start Association’s mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education. NHSA is committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life. We are the voice for more than 800,000 children, 275,000 staff, and 1,600 grant recipients in the U.S. Since 1974, NHSA has worked for policy changes that ensure all income-eligible children have access to the Head Start model.

www.nhsa.org

Association of Community College Trustees is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. ACCT fosters the principles and practices of exemplary governance while promoting high quality and affordable higher education, cutting-edge workforce and development training, student success, and the opportunity for all individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency and security.

www.acct.org

Sponsors

This project is made possible with generous support from: