👶Madison College lost a federal child care grant despite a perfect score on its application

If you're a student parent at Madison College, here's the news. The college says it won't get the federal CCAMPIS grant that helped pay for child care, even with a perfect score from both reviewers. President Jennifer Berne called it devastating and warned campus child care could close midsemester without new money. This fall, 28 of the 50 student-parent families in campus child care were confirmed eligible for the grant.

• Grant: $1.2 million from 2022 to 2026
• Covered 75% to 95% of child care costs
• Grant ended Sept. 30; denial email came Oct. 19
• 79 applications scored 100 of 100 and weren't funded
• Affected: 34 infants and preschool-age children

Devvin Thomas Sr. now faces a $1,700 bill after paying as little as $10 a semester. The Madison College Foundation has covered about 25% of eligible families' costs since October, and the college is seeking funding to reach 75%. Berne said the college is talking with partners about the next cycle.