Miami University students can get help with daycare expenses thanks to a U.S. Department of Education grant that covers up to 90 percent of child care expenses for students who qualify.

Miami’s daycare program received $777,826 to provide child care assistance under the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program.

The four-year grant provides $188,570 each year to three daycare centers located across Miami’s campuses in Oxford, Hamilton and Middletown. Full or part-time undergraduate and graduate students with young children can receive subsidies ranging from 45-90 percent of child care costs not otherwise covered by child care vouchers or other child care subsidies up to an annual cap. To qualify, students must be Pell-grant eligible and utilize a child care provider that is licensed and nationally accredited. Miami’s Campus Kids program is fully accredited and has earned a five-star rating from the state of Ohio.

Roughly 25 students from across all Miami’s campuses utilize daycare subsidies each year to help them cover the cost of child care while they attend classes. The funding enables parents to earn their degree without the worry of covering daycare costs for their children. It also gives them peace of mind knowing their children are participating in an accredited daycare program while they go to school, said Campus Kids Child Care Center Director Krista Lambright.

The university’s daycare program has been awarded funding through the grant every four years since 2005. It has helped more than 200 students with young children earn their degrees free from the stress of locating off-campus child care.

Jessica Payne, a student and parent working on her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Miami Regionals, said the child care subsidy has been a lifesaver for her family since she started school in January 2019.

“It takes a lot of pressure away to know that my daughter is in a safe and nurturing environment surrounded not only by other kids but by staff who truly engage with each student,” she said. “[The CCAMPIS subsidy] allowed my family to afford the opportunity for my daughter to receive the best education as I, too, am receiving the best education at Miami.”

Miami University’s three daycare centers are: Campus Kids at Miami’s Hamilton campus in Schwarm Hall, Mini University daycare on Miami’s Oxford campus at 401 Western College Drive,  and the Atrium YMCA & Children’s Center in Middletown through a partnership with the YMCA. For more information about child care at the university or the CCAMPIS grant, contact Krista Lambright at crawfokr@MiamiOH.edu or 513-785-3011.