
Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.
This paper presents a portrait of the community college student parent population, their unique needs, and discusses the role that child care plays in their educational success. It provides an analysis of the availability of child care on community college campuses, a state-by-state review of student parents’ eligibility for Child Care Development Fund subsidy programs, and a description of strategies that community colleges can adopt to expand access to affordable, quality child care. This paper is based on research funded by the Lumina Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and is part of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research’s (IWPR) Student Parent Success Initiative.

Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.