NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University was awarded a nearly $2 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School program, a federal initiative designed to help low-income parenting students access affordable childcare and complete their college degrees.
The four-year grant will fund Jacks Childcare, Academic support, Retention and Economic impact, or Jacks CARE. The new initiative is designed to reduce childcare-related barriers to higher education by providing financial assistance, individualized student support and connections to university and community resources.
“For many parenting students, finding affordable childcare that accommodates their class schedules, work responsibilities and family needs is one of the biggest obstacles to completing their degrees,” said Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of education studies and principal investigator. “This grant will allow us to help students overcome those barriers while giving them greater flexibility in choosing childcare arrangements that work for their families.”
Jacks CARE will help eligible parenting students access childcare through a network of community providers. The initiative is designed to accommodate a variety of family needs, including care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children, as well as childcare outside traditional business hours.
Participating students will receive childcare financial assistance based on demonstrated financial need. In addition, Jacks CARE will offer individualized support services, mentoring, workshops and opportunities to connect with other parenting students.
The initiative addresses a significant need at SFA and throughout Deep East Texas, according to Dr. Lauren E. Brewer, associate professor of psychological sciences and co-principal investigator for the grant.
“Through recent efforts to improve the identification of parenting students, SFA has documented at least 361 undergraduate and graduate parenting students,” she said. “Because parenting status historically has been difficult to capture in university records, the actual number is likely higher.”
Brewer said the research for the grant showed parenting students’ needs extend well beyond childcare.
“Many are balancing college coursework, employment and family responsibilities while navigating financial pressures and limited support systems,” she said. “Jacks CARE will allow us to address these interconnected challenges and help students build the support networks they need to succeed.”
The project is designed to serve at least 19 parenting students each semester during its first two years and at least 22 each semester during its final two years. By combining childcare assistance with individualized support, the initiative aims to improve student retention and degree completion.
In addition, Jacks CARE will create opportunities for the broader SFA community to support parenting students. Faculty and staff will be able to serve as mentors, contribute to educational workshops and connect students with university resources. Students and student organizations can participate in outreach, family-friendly events and supervised activities for children. Parenting students also will have opportunities to share their experiences and help shape the program, while campus and community partners will collaborate to strengthen the support network for student families.
Jacks CARE builds on SFA's ongoing efforts to create a more family-friendly campus, including the Family-Friendly SFA Initiative, parenting student resources, a newly installed family-friendly workstation on the first floor of Steen Library, a newly developed student organization called Parenting Jacks and a website featuring pregnant and parenting student resources.
Jacks CARE also builds on SFA’s Data-to-Action for Parenting Students project. Olson Beal and Brewer are members of the Data-to-Action grant team, which received over $100,000 in funding in 2025 from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in partnership with the Urban Institute. That project focuses on better identifying parenting students, understanding their experiences and pinpointing opportunities to strengthen institutional and community support.
For more information about Jacks CARE, email jackscare@sfasu.edu.
