CCAMPIS Reauthorization Act
The Child Care Access Means Parents in School Reauthorization Act would amend the Higher Education Act’s CCAMPIS program to expand and formalize federal grants that help colleges and universities provide child care services for student parents. The bill states that the program’s purpose is to support the success of eligible student parents in postsecondary education by improving access to affordable, quality child care, including campus-based care, subsidized care on a sliding-fee basis, and before- and after-school services.
The bill sets a new grant structure with annual awards of at least $75,000 and up to $2 million, generally for five years, and allows supplemental and continuation awards based on need and demonstrated good-faith efforts to serve student parents. It also broadens the program’s administrative requirements by specifying who may apply, what must be shown in applications, what activities funds may support, and what quality standards child care programs must meet within three years of receiving assistance. In addition, it requires annual reporting to the Department of Education and public reporting on participation, demographics, fees, subsidies, quality measures, and student outcomes.
The bill would substantially revise Section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965, replacing the existing CCAMPIS framework with a more detailed statutory scheme for grant eligibility, allowable uses, quality benchmarks, reporting, and nondiscrimination. It would direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to eligible institutions serving Pell-eligible student parents, or students who meet Pell financial criteria but are excluded for specified reasons, and would authorize $500 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2031. The bill would also affect institutions of higher education, child care providers, and student parents by expanding access to subsidized child care and by imposing new compliance, documentation, and data-reporting obligations.
Based on the bill text and available context, the overall sentiment appears supportive and policy-driven, with the measure framed as a student-success and family-support initiative rather than a controversial overhaul. The introduction by a large group of Senate Democrats suggests broad sponsorship among its backers, and the bill was referred to the Senate HELP Committee without recorded votes or committee debate in the provided materials. No opposing statements or amendments are included in the record provided.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be fiscal cost, federal involvement in campus child care, and the bill’s detailed regulatory requirements. The authorization of $500 million per year and the five-year grant structure could draw scrutiny from budget-minded lawmakers. There may also be debate over whether the program should prioritize campus-based child care versus off-campus providers, since the bill limits priority for projects solely using off-campus providers or supporting multiple providers. Additional friction could arise over the bill’s quality mandates, reporting burdens, and the prohibition on imposing extra eligibility requirements on student parents beyond those specified in the statute.