College Attainment for Parent Students (CAPS)
Providing academic and childcare support to help parent students stay on track and succeed, building a stronger Virginia workforce.
The CAPS Program is a statewide initiative designed to improve educational and economic outcomes for parent-students across all 23 Virginia Community Colleges. Building on a successful pilot launched across five campuses from September 2023 through June 2025, CAPS provides comprehensive, high-touch support tailored to the unique needs of students balancing college, work, and parenting.
Through personalized coaching, wraparound services, and targeted financial assistance, CAPS helps parent-students overcome barriers, manage the demands of college and childcare, and stay on track toward their educational and career goals.
Program Benefits
Provide Wraparound Support
Provide comprehensive resources that address both academic and personal needs, helping students navigate their educational journey successfully.
CAPS Peer Community
A supportive community of fellow parent students who encourage one another to stay enrolled and succeed.
Emergency Childcare Grants
Provides immediate funding to cover sudden, unforeseen childcare costs, ensuring student parents never have to pause or sacrifice their VCCS education due to temporary care disruptions.
Improve Quality Early Childhood Education
Through support for childcare and children's activities.
Program Goals
Employment Placement & Wages
85 percent of parent students will be placed directly into employment, earning wages 200 percent above the poverty level within six months of credential completion.
Retention & Graduation Rates
95 percent semester-to-semester retention, and 90 percent of parent students on track to complete an associate degree within three years or a certification within 18 months.
National Blueprint & Evaluation
Create a data-driven external evaluation, which will serve as a national blueprint for how to best support parent students and their children across the Commonwealth and country.
Early Childhood Outcomes
Improve long-term outcomes for children of parent students by improving access to early childhood education and quality educational programs.
Family-Friendly Campuses
Work with colleges to develop family-friendly campuses to better serve all parent students.
National Leadership & Advocacy
Lead a results-based national conversation on the best policies and practices to serve parent students and their children in a way that improves the talent pipeline and student success.
Want to Learn More?
Reach out to a coach at your local VCCS college today to get started.
Real Students. Real Impact.
Every one of these students is a first. The first in her family to finish college. The first to put a child in formal preschool. The first to see a path out. Philanthropic support is what made all these “firsts” possible.
“CAPS made me feel seen, supported, and understood. Their support helped me keep going during some of the hardest moments of my life.”
Tiana Randolph · Tidewater · Human Services
“As a single mother and former foster youth, CAPS gave me the stability I needed to stay enrolled and thrive. I am breaking generational barriers.”
Briona Simmons · Northern Virginia · Social Sciences
“As a Deaf mother and student, knowing my children were well cared for allowed me to attend classes, study, and stay focused on my goals.”
Maria Del Castaneda Juarez · Eastern Shore · Medical Assistant
A disabled veteran and mother of three, managing school alone while her husband is deployed. CAPS secured her consistent childcare.
Kenisha Kenol · Virginia Peninsula · Early Childhood Ed
A single mother of three. CAPS covered bills and groceries during a family health crisis, keeping her enrolled and on the way to a bachelor's.
Susana Donkor · Germanna · Early Childhood Ed
“This support has eased immense pressure. That kind of stability means more than words can describe.”
Malcolm & Skylar · Rappahannock · Nursing
“The $1,000 CAPS grant provided much-needed financial stability during a critical semester.”
Samantha Pennington · J. S. Reynolds · Business Management
In Their Own Words
“It gave me peace of mind, hope, and the stability to focus on my nursing education while raising my three children.”
Katelyn Davis · New River
“This childcare stipend lifted a huge weight off our family, while ensuring my son stayed in a thriving preschool environment.”
Heather Allen · Central Virginia
“Knowing my daughter was in a safe, reliable environment gave me peace of mind to focus fully on my coursework.”
Erica Williams · Paul D. Camp
“It has truly been a lifeline for me and my baby girl by covering her daycare expenses. I can't even express how much that means.”
Pierra Pryor · Brightpoint
