Mekki Santee who is both a mom, and student is apart of Johnson County’s nursing program. Photo By: Josiah Ann Nelson.

Courtney Hultgren, Program Director for the Hiersteiner Child Development Center at JCCC, emailed yesterday to announce that they had received official notice from the U.S. Department of Education that JCCC was not selected for the CCAMPIS grant application for the current grant cycle.  

“Out of 296 colleges that applied nationwide,” Hultgren wrote. “Only 40 were funded, and no institutions in Kansas received awards.” 

The 2022 CCAMPIS grant awarded $618,204 to JCCC, enabling it to award over $150,000 in scholarships to student parents annually.  

 “This is disappointing news,” Hultgren wrote. “We know how vital this assistance is to our student families, and we dedicated significant time and effort to preparing a strong application. Unfortunately, this was an extraordinarily competitive grant cycle.” 

Although JCCC is very disappointed by the news, they remain fully committed to the student parents who are part of the CCAMPIS scholarship. The grant officially ended on Sept. 30; however, the families that are affected by the news will have their scholarships covered for the rest of the semester.  

“Childcare costs will be 100% funded through Dec. 11, 2026 (the end of the JCCC fall 2026 semester),” Hultgren wrote.  

The email included next steps for the families after the semester ends. 

• Apply for DCF: We strongly encourage all eligible families to apply for the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Child Care Subsidy Program as soon as possible. You can review eligibility requirements and apply on their website: https://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/pages/child_care/childcaresubsidy.aspx 

• Future Funding Updates: We will continue to monitor the situation closely. If new funding or scholarship opportunities open up for the Spring 2027 semester, we will be in touch immediately. Furthermore, we plan to reapply for CCAMPIS if the grant competition opens up in the future. 

Hultgren closed the email by stating that she understands how this news brings uncertainty and disappointment to the student parents affected.  

“We remain committed to advocating for student parents and exploring every available resource to support your family,” Hultgren wrote.