Eric Ercanbrack
The Broadside

Many students at Central Oregon Community College face difficulties with the expense of childcare. COCC offers little help to students with children.
COCC currently does not offer an off-campus or on-campus day care facility. Eight out of the 17 community colleges in Oregon offer some form of childcare to their students and staff. COCC is not one of those eight. With tuition rising, students may face some tough challenges with the average cost of childcare at $403 a month.
“As a single parent myself, childcare was the highest of my expenses while raising my child,” said Whitney Davis, an employee at the Department of Human Services.
Davis works with parents who apply for the government program to receive help with childcare expenses.

“If a parent is full -time in school they are not eligible for childcare, part-time in certain situations they will get benefits,” she said.

DHS provides benefits based on a parent’s amount of hours needed for childcare and the parent’s income.
According to the U.S. Census, in 2008, 54 percent of all women in the U.S. are mothers. There are no specific numbers detailing the number of students that have children at COCC.

According to the U.S. Census, in 2009, the highest number of births—over 1.2 million—occurred within the ages 25 to 29. Out of all enrolled students at COCC, 28 years old is the average age.

You may contact Eric Ercanbrack at [email protected]