HomeCommunity NewsPCC Family Center Receives $500,000 in Federal Funds

PCC Family Center Receives $500,000 in Federal Funds

Pasadena City College recently announced the expansion of services for students who are also parents after a $500,000 award from U.S. Rep. Judy Chu and the U.S. Department of Education.
PCC’s Family Resource Center was named as the beneficiary of a Community Project Funding Grant in the omnibus spending bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29. The funding was requested by Chu.
“Congressmember Judy Chu continues to deliver for higher education and PCC,” said PCC Board of Trustees President Sandra Chen Lau. “PCC’s Family Resource Center serves a population of as many as 5,000 students with children, providing them with support while they attain their education goals. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Congressmember Chu for her steadfast commitment to ensuring education opportunities are available and supported for PCC students.”
Chu said she is proud to have been able to help bring this funding to PCC’s Family Resource Center.
“Becoming a parent should never limit Californians’ opportunities to obtain a higher degree or learn a trade, and that’s why it’s so critical for institutions of higher education to provide student parents with resources and support,” Chu said. “PCC’s Family Resource Center does just that, and so I was happy to fight to include a Community Project Funding Grant for PCC in this year’s spending bill. I look forward to seeing this funding in action and to continued collaboration and partnership between the federal government and vital centers of learning in the San Gabriel Valley like PCC.”
PCC Superintendent/President Erika Endrijonas said the school is excited to be able to make more services available for its parenting students.
“Parents know as well as anyone that it’s impossible to predict what will happen every day,” Endrijonas said. “This grant will help us enhance our parenting students’ ability to respond to challenges as they arise while keeping a focus on their studies and completing their educational goals.”
PCC’s Family Resource Center launched in January 2022 to provide space for tutoring and other support for students who are also parents of young children. The model builds on PCC’s successful Child Development Center, a working day care that provides child care for infants to age 5 and experiential learning for students in child development courses. The Resource Center similarly is a space where small children can play safely while their parents attend to college-related tasks.
The $500,000 grant will also enable the college to expand its private spaces for lactating mothers on its four campuses across the West San Gabriel Valley.

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