Student parents attending Nassau Community College may soon have greater access to child care as part of a statewide expansion announced this week by Kathy Hochul aimed at supporting adult learners across the State University of New York system.
Hochul said the initiative will expand child care services at 11 SUNY community colleges, either by extending hours into evenings and weekends or by creating additional child care spots for infants and toddlers. Nassau Community College is among six campuses that will add more spaces for younger children, a move intended to help student parents balance their academic and family responsibilities.
At Nassau Community College, the funding will support the campus’s Children’s Greenhouse by creating additional spots for infants and toddlers, allowing more than a dozen student parents to access safe, reliable child care at no cost while attending classes. The investment aims to remove barriers to higher education by ensuring students have the support they need to balance family responsibilities with their academic goals, including those participating in the SUNY Reconnect program at the college.
“The support from the State has been integral in allowing Nassau Community College to expand our childcare offerings at the Children’s Greenhouse,” Maria Conzatti, the college’s chief administrative officer, said. “Our campus is grateful for this investment in our community.”
“We are both grateful and excited to have this increased capacity to support student-parents with the addition of a second infant room,” Lorie Mulhern, director of the Children’s Greenhouse, said. “This funding will allow the Greenhouse to accommodate additional infants throughout the week, ensuring students have the supports needed to succeed in the classroom.”
The effort is designed in part to support participants in SUNY Reconnect, a state program that offers free tuition, fees, books and supplies to New Yorkers ages 25 to 55 who do not already hold a college degree and want to pursue an associate degree in a high-demand field.
“We are investing in the futures of our adult learners and student parents to ensure they can pursue and achieve their dreams,” Hochul said in a statement announcing the expansion. “Through the expansion of child care across SUNY’s community college campuses … we are reinforcing our commitment to meeting the needs of adult learners and offering them a path to upward mobility.”
State officials say access to reliable child care remains one of the most significant barriers facing adult students, particularly parents returning to school while working or raising young children. By expanding child care availability, SUNY hopes to make it easier for those students to enroll in classes and complete degree programs.
In addition to Nassau Community College, five SUNY community colleges will expand child care hours to better align with evening or nontraditional class schedules.
The expansion builds on several recent state investments aimed at increasing access to child care across SUNY campuses. In 2022, the state announced $10.8 million to address child care shortages and expand capacity at SUNY schools. More recently, SUNY also expanded child care programs at Dutchess and Monroe community colleges to include evening hours aligned with high-demand academic programs.
