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A $1.1 million Department of Education grant has been awarded to UCLA’s Early Care and Education program, doubling the number of students who will be able to receive child care assistance through the university.

Child care services for students are available through UCLA Early Care and Education, which operates an accredited child care center, preschool and kindergarten program at University Village in the University Apartments South, where many student families are housed.

Low-income students, who are given priority among families trying to place their children in Early Care and Education programs, may be eligible for full or partial subsidy grants from the state Department of Education’s Child Development Division, or through endowed scholarships from the university, according to the Early Care and Education Web site.

In total, the Early Care and Education’s on- and off-campus facilities are licensed to provide care and schooling for 257 children in their current capacity, with expansion plans underway. At the University Village center, 115 spaces are available for children of students.

Any institution of higher education serving a population of low-income students, as determined by the monetary amount of federal Pell Grants received by its students, may apply for child care access grants through the Department of Education.

“UCLA has one of the largest Pell-eligible student populations of any of the large research universities,” said Gay Macdonald, executive director of Early Care and Education, which helped the university acquire such a large grant.

According to the Department of Education, over $16 million was awarded to more than 300 colleges in the 2004 fiscal year, including 45 California schools.

The grant funds, to be awarded to the Early Care and Education over the next four years, will primarily go toward increasing the amount of childcare tuition assistance for students with dependent children, and also help to provide additional support services to student families.

“Child care is a kind of two-for-one bargain, I think, because not only do the student parents have a better chance of succeeding or excelling in their academic programs, but their children will also have an advanced chance of succeeding once they get to school,” Macdonald said.

Currently, the Department of Education provides tuition grants for about 50 children, and funds raised by the center allow them to provide child care tuition scholarships to 15 to 20 children every year. Actual numbers vary from year to year because costs differ slightly based on the ages of the children receiving the funds.

The grant funds will allow the center to double the number of scholarships it can award, but not to increase the number of children Early Care and Education can accommodate.

Though Early Care and Education receives about twice as many applicants as they have spaces for, it is unclear how many students with dependent children need child care.

University Apartments South has 1,164 family housing units occupied by married couples with and without children, single parents, and same-sex domestic partners. All but 60 units are part of University Village, where child care is located.

Information was not readily available as to how many of these families have children under the age of six, said Raymond Garcen, area director for University Apartments South.

Early Care and Education estimates that roughly 300 UCLA students have dependent children who may be eligible for care through their programs.

But by any measure, the number of child care spots available to UCLA students is smaller than the number needed to meet students’ full demand.

Access to child care, especially for infants and toddlers, is a problem for students and non-students alike. Low-income students have extra difficulty accessing child care, and early childhood education programs of high quality, Macdonald said.

In Los Angeles County, there are approximately 20 applicants for each available space for accredited infant and toddler care, she said.

The grant will also allow Early Care and Education to hire a family services coordinator to provide advice and support services for UCLA families.

“A family service coordinator would be able to meet with families, understand what their needs are, and help them” gain access to services they may benefit from, Macdonald said.

The provision of high-quality, affordable child care is “critical to help (parents) succeed and do well, and come out of here with the thing we want them to have most – their degree,” she said.