The Washington Post Editorial Board has endorsed a new parntership between the Association of Community College Trustees and the National Head Start Association. The project, funded by ECMC Foundation and the Seldin / Haring-Smith Foundation, will allow the two organizations to plan the relocation of Head Start centers to community college campuses.

While most institutions do not collect data on the parenting status of their students, we do know that insufficient childcare is a significant barrier for the 1.7 million single moms in college, nearly all of whom have incomes at or near the poverty line. About half of these women attend community colleges, and few community colleges offer on-campus childcare. Further, many centers closed during the pandemic. 

ECMC Foundation funded the project through our Single Mother Student Success Initiative. As the only national funder focused on single mother students, ECMC Foundation’s initial investments since 2016 have laid the groundwork for needed systemic change. 

Read the editorial.