Students with children may struggle next year as heavy budget cuts to the Child Development Research Center (CDRC) mean cuts to on-campus child care and grants to supplement child care costs.

The CDRC’s night program offering childcare from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday will be cut because it was paid for by the CCAMPIS Grant, said CDRC director Pamela Bell.

“That is just going to be devastating to some of the students,” she said. “They work until 5:00, and then they drop the kids off at 5:30 and make those 6 o’clock classes.”

Bell said the CDRC has received CCAMPIS Grants for the last 12 years, but the grant was not renewed this year.

Because of this, students receiving CCAMPIS Grants will have to pay full price for daycare beginning October 2014. The Student Life and Services Fee Allocation Committee completely cut CDRC funding, Bell said.

She said the 18 students using CCAMPIS Grants and paying $54 a week will now have to pay full price, $135 a week.

She said even that price is expected to increase 5 percent and daily prices will increase as well. She expects about half of the 18 students won’t be able to keep up with the price increase.

“I think putting food on the table is going to win out over college,” she said. “That is their top priority. They have to take care of these kids.”

She said the CCAMPIS Grant allowed students to cut back on work hours.

She said the CDRC received $37,000 from Student Government (SG) two years ago, and $19,000 last year.

For the 2014-15 fiscal year, funding for the CDRC was moved from the Activity and Service Fee to the Student Life and Services Fee, she said. The CDRC received no funding through the Student Life and Services Fee for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

She said every penny of that money was used to employ students, and cuts are going to have to be made.

This was the only funding non-traditional students with children used, Bell said, and she doesn’t know why funding was transferred to the Student Life and Services Fee, and then cut completely.

Ryan Traher, Director of Communications for SG, said the issue sounds sensitive and SG isn’t going to say something off the cuff.

The Spinnaker reached out to future student body President and current SG treasurer Joe Turner, who was not available for an interview today.

Everett Malcolm, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs was not available for an interview today.

The Spinnaker reached out to Christine Malek, the Divisional Budget Advisor for Student Affairs, but she was not available for comment today.

Email Blake Middleton at reporter32@unfspinnaker.com