Bronx Community College Opens New Infant/Toddler Program to Help Student Parents Stay on Track to Graduate and Achieve their Career Dreams
Local elected officials, BBC staff, faculty and student parents gathered this morning for a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of the Infant/Toddler Program at the Early Childhood Center. The program serves student parents with children ages six weeks to two years of age and builds on the Center’s program for children ages 2-12.
“Today, I am proud to share the news that BCC is the first NAEYC (National Association of Education for Young Children) accredited Infant/Toddler program among the 18 campus-based CUNY childcare centers accepting children as young as six weeks of age,” said Interim BCC President Dr. Milton Santiago. “This was a true collaboration on so many levels.”
Guest speakers included U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, New York State Senator Robert Jackson, Deputy Borough Commissioner Janet Peguero, and New York State Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia, along with a parent testimonial by Hauka Koszer, whose son Liam attends the program. Early Childhood Center Executive Director Jitinder Walia also delivered remarks, and each of the speakers congratulated her and her dedicated team.
“An estimated 22-25% of our students are parents,” Dr. Santiago said. “The obstacles that our BCC students face even when they don’t have children are huge. When you add children to the mix, it suddenly all becomes much more complicated. Here at the Early Childhood Center, we are providing childcare to students who would otherwise not be able to attend college.”
The Center, a state-of-the-art facility providing high-quality care and a creative and nurturing environment, cares for BCC students’ children while the students attend class. The children participate in age-appropriate activities such as puppetry, sign language instruction and other hands-on learning; they receive music education once per week. The Center educates, advocates, and provides support to empower student parents.
“This is transformative change that is taking place right here in the Bronx,” said Peguero, a mother who is also expecting. “They say ‘it takes a village’ — well, BCC, you are building that village, because you are providing holistic support for academic careers and making their academic goals accessible. This is a blueprint for other schools to follow.”
The expansion of the Early Childhood Center to include infant and toddler care is aligned with BCC’s mission to support the success of every student.
Watch WCBS-TV segment featuring ribbon cutting for BCC’s Infant/Toddler program launch and the childcare services we are providing student parents to impact retention, graduation and success.
