The University School for Young Children will use the funding to establish the Redhawk Flight Program Equipping Families to Brighten Their Future Through Higher Education as part of an effort to support more southeast Missouri families by expanding access to affordable childcare services while they pursue their higher education goals.

The teachers, administrative and support staff at the University School for Young Children strive to provide exemplary, high-quality childcare and early childhood education, said Byron Henderson, director of the University School for Young Children. We have a deep, ongoing commitment to children and families within the University and surrounding communities, and we hope to continue to support more families through the Redhawk Flight Program.

The University School for Young Children, located at 2089 Bessie Street in Cape Girardeau, is part of Southeasts College of Education, Health and Human Studies and serves as an academic center for the training, research and education of students in early childhood education and child development. The University School for Young Children conducts a nationally accredited early childhood program open to Southeast Missouri State Universitys faculty, staff and students and to the community.

The Redhawk Flight Program will assist low-income students and underrepresented families to help alleviate the burden of childcare costs which can decrease access to affordable and high-quality preschool and childcare programs.

We recognize that childcare rates are continuously a concern and that it is very difficult to find high-quality childcare and early childhood services in this region, Henderson said. This grant will enable us to offer a sliding scale to all eligible applicants with the largest target for the program being students.For Southeast students, this sliding scale coupled with the significant discount that is already provided by the University, will allow students to further their education without the worries of having access to affordable, high- quality childcare.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of underrepresented, low-income student families enrolled in the program by 5%.

We hope that the Redhawk Flight Program will be a steppingstone for families to take control of their future, Henderson said. Our commitment has always been the children and families of the southeast Missouri community. This program represents an additional effort by Southeast to make education attainable and affordable for all people in the region. Education is the key to change. If we empower families through education, we will change the future of our region.

For more information about the University School for Young Children, visit semo.edu/usyc.

For more information about the U.S. Department of Educations Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program, visit https://www2.ed.gov/programs/campisp/index.html.