ERIC Number: ED600135
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Aug
Pages: 55
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Higher Education: More Information Could Help Student Parents Access Additional Federal Student Aid. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-19-522
Emrey-Arras, Melissa
US Government Accountability Office
Student parents face many challenges, including paying for child care, that can make it difficult for them to complete a degree. The federal government supports student parents through Education's Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which provides colleges funding for child care services, and federal student aid, which can also help students pay for child care. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to provide information on student parents and the federal programs that support these students. This report examines, among other objectives, what is known about the characteristics and degree completion of undergraduate students with children; what is known about the CCAMPIS program and how reliable Education's reported outcomes are; and to what extent selected schools publicize the option to increase federal student aid to help pay for child care. GAO analyzed 2009 and 2016 federal student data (the most recent available) and CCAMPIS program performance data, reviewed how the 62 schools that were awarded CCAMPIS grants in 2017 publicized the student aid option to help pay for child care, and reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations and agency documents. GAO interviewed officials from Education and selected schools. GAO is making three recommendations to Education to correct its CCAMPIS persistence and graduation rate calculations and to encourage schools to inform students about the option to increase federal student aid to help pay for child care. These recommendations are: (1) The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education should correctly calculate its CCAMPIS program persistence rate and cost per persisting student measures; (2) The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education should either collect the CCAMPIS participant enrollment data needed to calculate a standard 3-year graduation rate or accurately define and calculate a different college completion measure; and (3) The Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid should encourage schools--through appropriate means, such as the FSA Handbook--to inform students via school websites about the availability of the dependent care allowance and how to request the allowance.
Descriptors: Child Care, Parents, Student Financial Aid, Federal Aid, Access to Education, Federal Programs, Undergraduate Students, Student Characteristics, Program Effectiveness, Academic Persistence, Grants, Low Income Students, Web Sites, Access to Information, Student Loan Programs, Graduation, Postsecondary Education, Family Programs, Welfare Services, Block Grants, Academic Degrees, Certification, Institutional Characteristics, Educational Finance, Paying for College
US Government Accountability Office. 441 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20548. Tel: 202-512-6000; Web site: http://www.gao.gov
Publication Type: Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: US Government Accountability Office
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Child Care and Development Block Grants; Pell Grant Program
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study; National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NCES)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A