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The Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) Foundation, Inc. has received two generous year-end donations totaling $15,000 in support of the MWCC Child Watch program. The Bemis Foundation contributed $5,000, and the Crocker Foundation provided $10,000 to ensure continued access to free, high-quality child watch services for MWCC student parents.
MWCC’s Child Watch program offers free short and long-term child watch services to student parents while they attend classes, meet with advisors, study, or participate in other college activities. Staffed by trained student employees, recent graduates, and individuals with professional childcare experience, Child Watch provides age-appropriate enrichment activities in a safe and supportive environment. The program plays a vital role in MWCC’s broader basic needs initiatives, which aim to remove barriers that interfere with student success.
The need for accessible, affordable childcare continues to grow across North Central Massachusetts. In a 2025 survey of MWCC student parents, 71% of full-time, Pell-eligible parents and 58% of part-time Pell-eligible parents reported difficulty securing regular, affordable childcare. Additionally, 61% of respondents— including 75% of part-time student parents—struggled to find childcare that aligned with their academic schedules. Eighty-two percent reported that caregiving responsibilities interfered with their ability to complete coursework, contributing to lower semester-to-semester persistence rates.
Demand is expected to rise following the October 2025 conclusion of MWCC’s federally funded Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, which had long supported student parents in accessing early education and childcare services. The Child Watch program now fills a critical gap by providing convenient, on-campus support.
“The generosity of the Bemis Foundation and the Crocker Foundation ensures that our student parents have the support they need to stay enrolled and succeed,” MWCC President James Vander Hooven. “These gifts directly strengthen educational access and opportunity for families across our region.”
The MWCC Foundation, Inc., located in Gardner, Massachusetts, supports MWCC and its 29-community service region, which includes Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Oakham, Orange, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, and Winchendon.
For more information about supporting MWCC students, visit the MWCC Foundation.