New childcare grant for Western students
Western Wyoming Community College (Western) and the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) are pleased to offer current degree-seeking parents childcare grants of up to $6,000 for the 2022-2023 academic year. Western and DFS recognize residual hardships stemming from COVID-19. This is a one-time opportunity aimed at parents and guardians of children between six-weeks old through preschool.
Students enrolled in a Western degree, credit diploma, or certificate program for Fall 2022 and/or Spring 2023 are eligible to receive the grant. All class formats (e.g. online, hybrid, and in-person) are accepted as long as one or more of the following experiences in childcare costs apply: underemployed, unemployed, reduced college course load, reduced credits earned in prior academic term, risk of reduced credits in the upcoming academic term, and childcare costs that prohibit education.
Western is committed to making childcare services a priority for our community. In 1975, the Western Children’s Center (WCC) was established as the first college in Wyoming to provide a childcare center on campus to help student-parents succeed in their academic pursuits. The WCC can provide care and educational experiences for up to 100 children and student-parents save on average $687 per month in childcare (westernwyoming.edu/childcare). Recently, the WCC dropped the requirement of a student-parent to be on campus while their children are in the center allowing more flexibility for online learners.
“The Western Children’s Center is a great resource for parents looking to complete their education and allow them the time to focus and succeed on their academic goals,” states Susie Rawlings, Director of Western’s Children Center.
This new grant is not limited to WCC but can be applied to various childcare that meets grant criteria such as homecare and other childcare businesses. This opportunity applies to Western’s service area of Sweetwater, Carbon, Lincoln, Sublette, and Unita counties.
For more information on the childcare grant, visit westernwyoming.edu/childcaregrant or by contacting the Financial Aid Department at mustangcentral@westernwyoming.edu. For information regarding the Western Children’s Center and student-benefit savings, visit westernwyoming.edu/childcare or call Susie Rawlings at 307-382-1669 or email srawlings@westernwyoming.edu.