$60,000 Grant Aims to Tackle Childcare Shortage Affecting Kentucky’s Parenting Students
BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY — A new $60,000 grant awarded to SouthCentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) aims to help solve one of the state’s most pressing educational challenges — the childcare shortage preventing thousands of parents from completing their college degrees.
According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, 79 of Kentucky’s 120 counties are considered childcare deserts, where access to affordable and reliable care is severely limited. The shortage has forced many parents to pause or abandon their education altogether.
Addressing a Growing Childcare Crisis
SKYCTC, which serves more than 6,000 students, estimates that about 40% of its student body are parents juggling coursework, jobs, and family responsibilities.
“If it comes down to going to school or putting food on the family table, you have to put food on the table,” said Dr. John Thomerson, president of SKYCTC. “So folks are dropping out or stopping out, or they’re not graduating at the same rates as our non-parenting students.”
The grant will fund a planning initiative to identify sustainable childcare solutions that make it easier for parents to stay enrolled and graduate.
Students Share Real-World Challenges
For Mayada Hassan, a second-year SKYCTC student pursuing an associate’s degree in science, the lack of childcare delayed her education for years.
“I have to wait until they are old enough to go to school so I can come back to school,” Hassan said. “So that’s why it’s held me back a couple of years.”
Hassan says access to campus and community resources, such as financial aid support and scholarship guidance, has been instrumental in helping her return to school.
“Whether they’re helping with FAFSA or finding scholarship opportunities, they’re always helpful when we need them,” she added.
Community Partnerships to Support Parenting Students
Heather LaRue, a resource coordinator at SKYCTC, emphasized the importance of community collaboration in supporting student parents.
She credits local organizations like Bundle of Joy, which helped her years ago, as key partners in the effort to eliminate barriers for current students.
“We need providers to get on board with us to make sure our students eliminate every barrier so they can be successful,” LaRue said.
The college hopes to partner with childcare providers, nonprofits, and state agencies to develop long-term strategies that can be scaled across Kentucky.
Next Steps and Long-Term Vision
SKYCTC administrators attended a statewide seminar to begin the planning process for implementing the grant-funded initiatives. While leaders acknowledge the funding won’t fully solve the childcare crisis, they believe it will lay the groundwork for lasting change.
“We know this funding won’t fix everything,” said one administrator, “but it’s a step toward sustainable solutions that help Kentucky parents earn their degrees and improve their families’ futures.”
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