MCC expands partnerships to better support single moms pursing a college credential  

Monroe Community College is one of four U.S. community colleges helping raise completion rates for single-mother learners by 30 percent by summer 2024 in collaboration with the national nonprofit Education Design Lab. 

MCC’s work in the Education Design Lab’s Single Moms Success initiative was recently noted as a promising example of how innovative and scalable solutions are being developed to significantly improve completion rates for single mothers. 

Launched in spring 2022 in response to students’ needs, the Single Moms Success program at MCC provides critical holistic supports and referrals to community resources for single-mom learners.   

MCC is considering a pilot family housing program in the residence halls for fall 2024. 

“We know from all the research that occurred across higher education that when students feel connected, when they feel a sense of belonging, when they identify with others in affinity groups like them, it leads to better outcomes. … We want to make sure that the holistic needs of our students are met,” MCC President DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna said in “Single Moms Defy the Odds in College Graduation,” one in a series of newly released films produced by WorkingNation on what several U.S. colleges are doing to help single-mom learners persist and graduate. 

MCC is one of seven U.S. community colleges – and the only college in the East Coast – featured in the films. Watch the short film here.  

In related news, The Richard M. Guon Child Care Center at MCC recently received reaccreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, achieving high scores for quality based on national standards. 

Less than 10 percent of the nation’s child care centers, preschools and kindergartens have achieved NAEYC accreditation. 

The center on MCC’s Brighton Campus has been NAEYC-accredited for the past 30 years. The latest accreditation is for five years. 

To earn accreditation, child care center administrators and staff conduct an extensive self-study, measuring the program and its services against NAEYC’s 10 areas of early childhood program standards that consist of over 400 accreditation criteria. Onsite and unannounced visits by NAEYC assessors are also part of the review process. 

MCC’s center earned high scores for curriculum, teaching approaches, assessment of child progress, nutrition and health of children, educational qualifications and ongoing development of teaching staff, relationships with families and community, physical environment, and leadership and management. 

The child care center provides early care and education for children — from 2 months old through age 5 — of MCC students, faculty and staff as well as local community members, with a focus on preparing young children to be ready for school by age 5. It is licensed to serve 96 children.  

In fall 2018, the center began offering full-day programs to Rochester City School District children. It also serves families in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District. 

“We are proud to maintain the mark of quality from NAEYC and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards,” said Angela Colt, director of the center. “I am proud to work with a talented team of dedicated teachers who tirelessly provide exceptional care and an engaging, safe and effective learning environment for children. Because of our team, we are able to contribute to the success of MCC student-parents.” 

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