Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) | FY 2026 Historical Reference | U.S. Department of Education

Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) | FY 2026 Historical Reference | U.S. Department of Education

CCAMPIS is one of those programs that makes immediate sense once you see the problem it is built to solve. Many college students are also parents, and for them the biggest barrier to staying enrolled is often not academic ability. It is child care. Classes run at inconvenient hours, internships do not line up with day care schedules, and a surprise child care bill can derail a semester. CCAMPIS exists to help institutions of higher education reduce that pressure by funding campus-based child care and related supports for low-income student parents.

The important thing to understand is who applies. Colleges and universities apply for the grant; student parents do not apply directly to the Department of Education. If your school wins a CCAMPIS grant, it can use that money to lower the cost of child care, add child care slots, extend hours, or provide related supports that help parents keep going to class. If you are a student parent, the practical next step is to find out whether your school participates, whether a campus child care program exists, and how to get on the list if it does.

The official ED page now marks the FY 2026 competition Closed. It records more than $73.5 million announced for the round, a four-year grant period, and a May 29, 2026 application deadline. It also records that ACF hosted a webinar on April 28, 2026 about the priorities and selection criteria. The page does not announce a later CCAMPIS competition, so this entry is a historical reference rather than an open application listing.

At a glance

What CCAMPIS is really for

CCAMPIS stands for Child Care Access Means Parents in School. The name is clunky, but the purpose is straightforward: help student parents stay in school by making child care less of a crisis and more of a reliable part of their schedule. The Department of Education describes the program as supporting the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through campus-based child care services.

That phrase matters. CCAMPIS is not a general student aid program, and it is not a direct cash benefit to parents. It is an institutional grant. A college or university receives the funds, then uses them to run or support a child care program and other services tied to child care access. Those services can include before-class and after-class care, and other supports that are necessary to let low-income students attend postsecondary education.

That makes CCAMPIS different from a scholarship, a loan, or a one-time emergency stipend. It is closer to a campus infrastructure and student support program. The school has to be able to organize child care operations, manage compliance, and serve the student population in a way that fits the grant rules. For students, the practical result is lower cost and better access. For institutions, it is a way to reduce stop-outs, improve persistence, and support a population that is often overlooked in campus planning.

What the program can fund

The official page says grants may be used to establish or support a campus-based child care program primarily serving students from low-income backgrounds enrolled at the institution. It also says the funding may cover before- and after-class and other student support services to the extent they are necessary to help low-income students pursue postsecondary education.

In plain English, the grant is meant to support the things that make child care workable for students who are trying to keep up with classes, work, and family life at the same time. That can include:

• Campus-based child care services.
• Child care subsidies or reduced fees for eligible student parents.
• Before- and after-class care that fits a class schedule.
• Other support services that are directly tied to child care access and student persistence.

The page also says the 2026 competition gives priority to child care programs that draw on significant local or institutional resources and use a sliding fee scale. That means a school is likely stronger if it can show it already has partners, facilities, staffing, or other resources in place, and if its model makes child care affordable on a sliding scale rather than treating everyone the same.

What the page does not do is promise a single standard benefit level for every institution. CCAMPIS is a competitive grant, and the final package can differ from campus to campus. A school might use the funds to expand an existing child care center, subsidize spaces at a partner provider, or build a more flexible student-parent support model. The exact design depends on the institution’s application and the grant award.

Who should pay attention

There are two groups that should care about this program, and they have different reasons for caring.

1) College and university staff

If you work in financial aid, student success, basic needs, student parent support, early childhood education, institutional grants, or campus child care, this is a relevant opportunity. It is especially worth a look if your school has a visible student parent population, an existing child care center, or a community provider partnership that could be expanded.

For the FY 2026 competition, only institutions that met the Pell Grant funding threshold could apply. That made it more specific than a general call for every campus in the country. For schools that qualify in a future round, CCAMPIS can be a practical way to support child care services that already make sense for the campus.

2) Student parents

If you are a student parent reading this, you probably cannot apply for the grant yourself. That does not make the program irrelevant to you. It means your next move is to ask whether your school participates. If it does, you may be able to access child care help, subsidized slots, or related supports through the campus program.

If your school does not currently have CCAMPIS funding, ask financial aid or student affairs whether it plans to pursue a future competition. The official page does not announce one yet, but student demand can help a campus decide whether to prepare when a new notice appears.

Eligibility basics

The official CCAMPIS page is unusually clear about the core eligibility test.

Institution eligibility

An institution of higher education is eligible to receive a grant if the total amount of all Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students enrolled at the institution in the preceding fiscal year is at least $350,000.

That is the threshold that matters most. If a school does not clear it, it is not eligible for this competition. If it does clear it, the school still has to compete successfully and submit a strong application.

Participant eligibility

The page says the program serves low-income parents who are eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. That is the student-side population the program is designed around.

The page does not spell out every local rule a campus might use for enrollment, waitlists, or child age ranges. That is intentional. Those details are usually set by the institution or by the child care provider the institution uses. If you are a student, do not assume every campus follows the same intake rules. If you are an institution, do not assume one school’s model will work for another without adjustment.

How the closed FY 2026 application worked

The official page records that the FY 2026 application was available through Grants.gov and that the competition closed on May 29, 2026. There is no open submission window on the verified program page and no next-round deadline to use instead. The page links to the application notice and instructions, so those materials remain the right reference for understanding the completed competition and for checking any future notice if ED announces one.

For the closed cycle, an institution’s preparation path was:

1. Confirm that the institution met the Pell Grant eligibility threshold of at least $350,000 awarded to enrolled students in the preceding fiscal year.
2. Read the FY 2026 application notice and instructions linked by the Department of Education.
3. Review the absolute priorities, invitational priority, and selection criteria described for the competition.
4. Gather evidence of the campus child care need, the low-income student-parent population to be served, and the institution’s ability to provide the proposed services.
5. Prepare a plan to establish or support campus-based child care and, where necessary, before- and after-class or other student support services.
6. Submit the complete package through Grants.gov by the published deadline.

ACF hosted the official webinar on April 28, 2026, and the ED page links to its slides and recording. Those resources can help a future applicant understand the completed round, but they do not reopen it. The summary page does not reproduce every form, attachment, budget item, or signature requirement, so a future applicant must use the new Grants.gov package and notice rather than copying the FY 2026 checklist from this archive.

Timeline

For the archived cycle, the May 29, 2026 date is a record of when submissions stopped, not a date that applicants can still use. The webinar was helpful, but it was not a substitute for reading the application notice. For any future competition, an institution would also need to leave time for its internal grants office, approvals, and submission routing. A new notice would control those requirements and dates.

How to decide whether this is worth the effort

The right way to think about CCAMPIS is not “Is this a big grant?” but “Can this school build a credible child care program around the needs of student parents?”

It is probably worth pursuing if:

• Your campus has a real student parent population and can document that need.
• You already have a child care center, a partner provider, or campus services that could expand with funding.
• Your institution can show local or institutional resources, because the official page says that is a priority.
• You can offer a sliding fee scale or a similar affordability model.
• Your team has enough administrative capacity to manage a four-year federal grant.

It may be a weaker fit if:

• Your school does not meet the Pell funding eligibility threshold.
• There is no realistic way to staff, manage, or sustain child care operations.
• The institution wants quick money but does not have a plan for compliance and service delivery.
• No one on campus owns the work, which makes the application and future administration risky.

For student parents, the question is simpler: if your school has CCAMPIS, is the service worth using? Usually the answer depends on whether it fits your schedule, child age needs, fees, and commute. A subsidized slot is only valuable if you can actually use it consistently. Ask early, and ask specific questions.

What a strong application usually needs

The official page does not provide a full application checklist in the summary text, but it does tell you enough to see what kind of application is likely to be strong.

A competitive school should be ready to explain:

• Why student parents on campus need help.
• How many students could benefit.
• What child care capacity already exists.
• How the school will use the federal funds.
• How the school will make the program affordable.
• What local or institutional resources will support the project.
• How the model will help student parents stay enrolled and complete credentials.

It also helps to be concrete. Vague statements like “student parents face barriers” are true, but they are not persuasive on their own. Better applications usually show the actual campus problem, the actual service gap, and the actual plan to close that gap.

If your school has a waiting list for child care, a high stop-out rate among student parents, or a large number of Pell-eligible parents who struggle to attend class, those are the kinds of facts that belong in the narrative. If you have partnerships with local providers, that should be spelled out too.

Common mistakes

The biggest mistakes with CCAMPIS are usually not dramatic. They are practical and avoidable.

Mistake 1: Assuming students apply directly

They do not. The institution applies. If you are a student parent, your job is to find out whether your school has a CCAMPIS program or is trying to build one.

Mistake 2: Missing the Pell threshold

The eligibility rule for institutions is specific. If your school does not have at least $350,000 in Pell Grant funds awarded to enrolled students in the prior fiscal year, it is not eligible. Do not spend weeks on an application if the institution cannot pass that test.

Mistake 3: Treating child care as a side project

CCAMPIS is not just about money. It is about running a child care service that actually fits student life. If a campus cannot handle scheduling, staffing, enrollment, and communication, the grant will not fix those weaknesses by itself.

Mistake 4: Ignoring affordability design

The official page says programs that use a sliding fee scale get priority. That is a hint. Reviewers want to see that the campus understands how families will pay for care, not just how it will be offered in theory.

Mistake 5: Forgetting the academic connection

This program exists to support postsecondary education. A child care plan that is disconnected from enrollment, class schedules, and student persistence will not be as compelling as one that clearly shows how care helps students stay in school.

Mistake 6: Treating the archive as an open call

The FY 2026 deadline has passed, and the official page marks the application status Closed. Federal grant packages take time, so if ED announces a later competition, an institution should begin with the new notice, allow time for narrative drafts and approvals, and follow the new deadline rather than reusing the archived date.

Practical tips for institutions

If your school is considering applying in a future competition, the best move is to build the application around evidence, not optimism.

First, identify the exact student-parent population you want to serve. Know how many students are likely eligible, how many currently need care, and what kind of care they need. Infant and toddler care, after-school care, and evening care are not interchangeable, and the demand profile matters.

Second, explain how the campus will actually deliver services. Will you expand an existing center? Contract with a local provider? Use a partnership model? The page says grants are for campus-based child care services, so your model should feel anchored to the institution rather than abstract.

Third, show commitment from the institution. If you can demonstrate budget support, facilities, staff time, or partner contributions, that aligns with the page’s priority for significant local or institutional resources.

Fourth, make the affordability story clear. A sliding fee scale is specifically mentioned on the official page, so spell out how fees will work and how low-income students will be protected from pricing that is still too high.

Finally, plan for sustainability. A four-year grant is meaningful, but it is still temporary. Reviewers want to see a serious plan, not a one-semester experiment.

Practical tips for student parents

If you are the person hoping to use the program, here is the shortest useful version:

1. Ask your financial aid office whether your school has CCAMPIS funding.
2. Ask student affairs or the child care center who runs the program.
3. Ask whether there is a waitlist, what the fee structure looks like, and what age groups are served.
4. Ask whether the child care schedule matches your classes or clinical hours.
5. Ask what documents you will need if a slot is available.

Do not wait until you are already overwhelmed to ask. Child care programs often fill quickly, and the application or intake process can take time. The earlier you find out what exists on your campus, the better your odds of using it.

FAQ

Is CCAMPIS a grant for students? No. It is a grant for institutions of higher education. Students benefit through the campus services the institution creates or expands.

Can any college apply? No. The school must meet the Pell Grant funding threshold described on the official page.

What does the money pay for? Campus-based child care and related student support services needed to help low-income students pursue postsecondary education.

Does the official page say there is a deadline? Yes. The FY 2026 application deadline is May 29, 2026.

Was there a webinar for FY 2026? Yes. The official page says ACF hosted a webinar on April 28, 2026 about the priorities and selection criteria. That event does not reopen the closed competition.

Where was the FY 2026 application submitted? The Department of Education directed institutions to Grants.gov and the FY 2026 application notice and instructions. That competition is closed, so this page does not provide an open application route.

What if my school does not participate? Ask whether it has a campus child care plan and whether it will monitor a future CCAMPIS notice. The official page does not announce a next competition, so do not assume that a new application window is available.

Official links

• CCAMPIS program page – U.S. Department of Education
• FY 2026 CCAMPIS application on Grants.gov
• FY 2026 Application Notice and Instructions
• Webinar link shared by ED
• CCAMPIS APR Submission Instructions

What to do next

If you are on a campus team reviewing this archive, start with the eligibility threshold and the closed FY 2026 application notice. Those materials show the completed competition’s basic shape, but they do not authorize a new submission. Then ask the people who know the campus demand where the pressure points are. Financial aid can tell you how many Pell-eligible students are enrolled. Student affairs can usually tell you where student parents are getting stuck. A child care director or community partner can tell you what capacity already exists and what gaps remain.

If you are a student parent, the next move is more direct. Ask whether your school has a CCAMPIS-funded program, whether there is a local intake process or waitlist, and whether the service matches your class schedule. If the answer is no, ask whether the institution is monitoring the Department of Education for a future notice. Sometimes the most useful thing a student can do is make the need visible early enough for the campus to prepare.

Do not treat this as a generic grant writing exercise. The strongest applications will sound like they came from a campus that understands its student parents, knows what help they need, and can explain exactly how child care support will keep them enrolled.

Bottom line

CCAMPIS remains useful to understand if you are a college administrator trying to serve student parents or a student parent trying to find child care that fits school life. The FY 2026 competition is closed, the program is not a direct student grant, and the official page does not announce a next round. It is still one of the federal programs built around the reality that child care can affect whether a parent stays enrolled.

If your institution qualifies, has a real student-parent need, and wants to prepare for a future competition, keep the official ED page and a future notice as the controlling sources. If you are a student, ask your school whether it already operates a CCAMPIS-funded service and how to access that local program.