Ribbon Cutting Scheduled for Friday, April 5

Bronx Community College (BCC) will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, April 5, 2024, to officially launch its new Infant/Toddler program, serving student parents with children ages six weeks to two years of age at the Early Childcare Center. The project, which has been in the works since COVID with the first group of infants and toddlers arriving on February 14, 2024, builds on the Center’s already-existing program for children ages 2-12.

“The opening of the Infant/Toddler Program, a project of love and passion, is aligned with BCC’s mission to support the success of every student,” said Executive Director of the BCC Early Childhood Center Jitinder Walia. “I am so grateful for the support we have received from the BCC community and Administration to make this dream a reality.”

At this point, the Childcare Center can accommodate a total of eight toddlers and six infants. The children receive music education once per week and participate in activities such as puppetry, sign language instruction and other hands-on learning.

“If we can support our students by helping to minimize distractions so they can focus on learning, then we can keep more of our students in school at BCC,” Interim President Milton Santiago said. “Providing childcare at the youngest of ages enables our student parents to feel comfortable knowing their children are safe and well attended to.”

BCC is now the second CUNY school to have opened an infant/toddler program serving infants as young as six weeks old. An estimated 22-25 percent of BCC students are parents.