The NEW Girls Night Out Camden County College Offers Evening Alternatives for Parents So often, as parents, we find ourselves responsible not only for our children’s well-being, but also for their entertainment. And while snuggling up and reading a few books, exploring the park, or playing an imaginative game with our children can be extremely rewarding, it can also be exhausting. For parents who are students, it can mean the difference between passing or failing a course. Online classes allow one to work from home, but when a child wakes up and needs mom or dad, we have to walk away from the computer. So what’s the alternative? How about on campus childcare? Camden County College has contracted with Kiddie Junction to offer award-winning childcare right on the Blackwood campus. Six years in a row, Kiddie Junction was named the Reader’s Choice for Best of South Jersey by the Courier Post. With locations in Berlin, Magnolia and Blackwood, Kiddie Junction Childcare & Preschool Centers are family-owned childcare centers that have been in operation since 1993. They take care of children ages six weeks to 12 years. And, for some parents, stipends are available to pay for the childcare.
In addition to on-campus childcare and mothering support, CCC also offers many other amenities for both daytime and evening students including: lactation stations, Starbuck’s, evening café hours, quiet study areas, and evening administration hours. Student Navigators are available until 8 p.m. in the Taft Hall One-Stop Student Center to help with everything from course selection to financial aid. Career counselors are also on hand to help with job placement or job changes.
“Camden County College provides a warm and welcoming environment for students, but also for their children. With the addition of evening hours at Kiddie Junction, parents can now drop their children off for age-appropriate play time while they focus on getting an education, or even taking personal enrichment courses,” states Executive Dean of Enrollment and Student Services, Dr. Jim Canonica.
Whether students are looking for “me” time with a yoga class, a degree, or adult conversation just for personal development, the College supports the community’s needs.
Less than half of the 19 community colleges in New Jersey offer on-campus childcare and only a few offer evening hours. Camden County College is the only community college in South Jersey to offer this service. In speaking with students and faculty, the College learned that some students were struggling with managing their classes at home, and it was actually more convenient for them to come to campus and use on-campus childcare than it was to take an online class. So the College administration asked Kiddie Junction to stay open later. Many faculty and staff members use Kiddie Junction for their own children. “I leave my children [four-years-old and three-years-old] at Kiddie Junction knowing they’re in great hands,” states one CCC employee. “My kids really enjoy their time there and are learning so many things.”
camdencc.edu 8 | September/October 2016
For more information, visit www.camdencc.edu/eveningcollege.
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