How Georgia Is Connecting Student Parents to Child Care — and Expanding Pathways to Completion

Education is one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility — and parents are highly motivated to earn credentials for their families’ futures. Yet despite strong academic performance, student parents graduate at lower rates than their non-parenting peers.

One of the most persistent barriers is access to high-quality, affordable, and flexible child care — often cited as the tipping point that leads parents to drop out.

In Georgia, the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) – both Ascend Network Partners – are working together to change that by connecting student parents to child care so they can stay enrolled and complete their education.

Aligning Cross-Sector Leaders and Resources

In 2021, DECAL and TCSG joined Ascend’s Policy Acceleration Partnerships (PAP), an 18-month initiative supporting five states and one city to expand access to public benefits for student parents and their children. PAP sites received $150,000 grants, technical assistance, and peer-learning experiences to fuel city, county, and state agencies’ work in partnership with other public entities, parents, and community-based organizations to better align policy and systems.  

Through this work, they helped:

• Prioritize student parents for child care subsidies
• Launch Find Help Georgia
• Develop the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) 2Gen Student Parent Pilot

As Rebecca Ellis of TCSG reflected:
“The value of this partnership has been the mutual curiosity on both sides and the willingness to deeply understand each agency’s policies and goals.”

Connecting Child Care and Family Prosperity

In Georgia, more than a quarter of parents with children under age five report long-term disruptions to work or education due to child care challenges — with even higher rates among women, single parents, younger parents, and those with household incomes under $50,000.

The CAPS 2Gen Student Parent Pilot addresses these challenges directly — helping parents stay on track and complete their education while supporting their children. The model takes a two-generation approach, connecting parents to child care, coaching, and community resources.

Launched in 2024 at three TCSG colleges — Central Georgia Technical College, Chattahoochee Technical College, and Wiregrass Technical College — the Pilot provides on-campus support through CAPS 2Gen Student Parent Consultants, who help families with a wide range of services, including support to:

• Apply for and find high-quality child care
• Set and pursue individual goals
• Access community resources

One student parent enrolled in the Pilot shared:
“For me, [the biggest impact has] been knowing that if I have any needs or need to change my child care, I will be able to have those met… I feel like it’s allowed me to stay in school and do well in school, not having the stress of child care. I wouldn’t have been able to be successful to the point that I am if I didn’t have the program readily available.”

The results are clear. During Fall 2024, two-thirds of participating student parents who applied for child care scholarships received them — compared to just 22 percent statewide. By the end of 2025, 234 student parents had received scholarships through the Pilot, and the program continues to expand.

By reducing the cost and uncertainty of child care, the Pilot is helping parents stay enrolled and complete their programs.

Recommendations for Replication

DECAL and TCSG offer four lessons for states looking to adapt and scale similar models::

1. Design for inclusivity: Serve parents across education and workforce pathways — from adult education to college. Whether a parent is completing their high school diploma, earning an industry credential, or pursuing a bachelor’s degree, they need access to quality and affordable child care. 
2. Build cross-sector relationships: Partner across agencies and campuses, recognizing each operates differently. Depending on your state, key partners may include your state department of education; department of labor; higher education board or agency; and college and university systems.
3. Address barriers early: For example, make enrollment documentation sufficient to access child care scholarships so parents can secure child care before classes begin, setting them up for a strong start.  
4. Leverage outreach: Use child care support to engage parents not yet enrolled in education or training. The Pilot’s child care scholarship can also be used for after-school and summer care, which is a big selling point for parents with young children.

Forward With Families : Scaling Solutions for Impact

In June 2025, the Pilot expanded to West Georgia Technical College and launched a statewide campus tour to engage additional institutions. This summer, it will transition to a permanent team within the CAPS program.

This is what it looks like to move Forward With Families:

• Aligning leaders and resources across sectors around shared outcomes
• Connecting policy and practice to expand opportunity
• Scaling solutions that are already delivering results
• Centering approaches that respond to the realities parents face

In Georgia, leaders are aligning systems around families — so more parents can complete their education, children can thrive, and families can build long-term stability.