Debbie Douglas brings more than books with her to class. Douglas, a senior in psychology and mother of four children ranging in age from 5 to 23, put off college until her oldest child graduated from high school. Since then, Douglas said she has resorted to unconventional child care solutions for her other children.

“Sometimes I’ve asked the professor if it’s OK, beforehand, if they sit in the back of the class, and some have said yes,” Douglas said. “If it’s a professor I don’t think is going to say yes, I’ll just have them sit outside the classroom until I’m done.”

Lack of affordable child care even forced Douglas to send her 5-year-old daughter to live with relatives in Jamaica until Douglas finishes school.

“If there was day care, my baby, who’s five, would be with me,” Douglas said. “Because then I could just take her to the day care and pick her up once I’m done. That would’ve been – oh my God, that would be fabulous.”

According to a county-by-county study of child care rates commissioned by the North Carolina Division of Child Development, child care costs at a high-quality facility in Wake County for 2007 are upwards of $11,664 a year – $1,296 more than Durham County, the next highest county on the list.

In other words, after four years at N.C. State, a single parent will have easily paid upwards of double the amount she spent to earn her bachelor’s degree – just for someone to watch his or her child.

While some aid sources exist to help cover these costs, few, if any, match existing need.

The Financial Aid Office, for example, considers child care expenses on a case-by-case basis when determining student aid eligibility, but caps on federal aid limit the amount of money a student can receive, regardless of need. After tuition, fees, books and other expenses, little can remain for child care.

The Child Care Resource Center, a Web site developed and maintained by the Department of Human Resources, provides information and links that help visitors find local child care providers and learn about funding sources and programs.

“The HR Web site was developed for NCSU employees, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that NCSU students would not have access to some of those resources,” said Barbara Carroll, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources, in an e-mail statement.

However, no collaboration between Human Resources and Student Affairs exists so that student parents are exposed to the Web site. Nor does the site inform visitors that featured resources are intended for anyone but staff members.

In fact, Douglas claims that throughout the course of four years of college attendance, no one informed her about any of the resources available to student parents.

“I never even heard of these programs,” Douglas said. “Nobody ever said anything to me.”

One such program helps students find local child care providers that give discounts to students and staff. But most providers on the list offer only modest discounts – 10 percent rate reductions or waived registration fees, for example – that still leave child care beyond reach for low-income students. Elsewhere on the site, a link sends visitors to the Division of Child Development homepage where students can learn about a state program designed for low-income families called the Subsidized Child Care Program. This program covers all child care costs that exceed 8 to 10 percent of a family’s monthly income. Of all licensed child care providers in the state, 80 percent participate in the program.

Still, a number of obstacles can prevent families from receiving funds.

“There are 300,000 children in the State who are eligible,” said Nancy Guy, chief of subsidy services for the Division of Child Development. “We’re only serving 100,000 … To serve all 300,000, we would need a billion dollars, but we don’t have a billion dollars. We only have around $372.6 million.”

The Division of Child Development, she said, responds to this annual shortfall by implementing a prioritization scheme that places parents who need child care to work above parents who need it to go to college.

“We struggle with that because we recognize that if a parent can complete their post-secondary education they qualify for a higher-paying job,” Guy said.

Another issue not addressed by the subsidy program is convenience. Even the closest participating providers operate off-campus. And since many child care centers have waiting lists, finding a provider close enough to campus can be difficult.

According to a study conducted by the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers, roughly 2,500 universities provide campus-based child care facilities for students with young children. The study also indicates that campus-based child care contributes significantly to graduation rates of student parents, who would otherwise be forced to contend with the inflexibility, regulations and inconvenience of off-campus facilities.

Despite these benefits, no such facility exists for students and staff.

“We’ve identified strong support for on-site child care, to respond to faculty and staff recruitment and retention needs,” said Carroll. “But we haven’t secured a source of funding to build such a facility at this point.

“I can’t speak for the executive leadership of the University, but I’m sure consideration would be given to allowing students to enroll their children in a campus center – if we ever manage to get one funded and built.”

Douglas said she believes many post-secondary institutions lack the political will to address the needs of young single parents and older, non-traditional students who struggle to keep up with family, work and educational responsibilities.

“I think that what happens a lot is that non-traditional students are in the minority, and so it’s like we’re here, but we’re not really here,” Douglas said. “It’s like we’re forgotten.”

According to N.C. Rep. Brad Miller, a similar lack of leadership and initiative exists in Washington – not only with regard to student parents, but also to child care issues in general.

“It’s an issue we’re not dealing with very well. I don’t have a solution,” said Miller. “I don’t even know that it’s being discussed particularly in politics right now.”

As for increases in federal funding, Miller said he holds out little hope, at least in the short-term.

“About an hour or so ago [on Thursday], we lost a vote to override the president’s veto of an expansion of the health insurance program for lower-income children, so that doesn’t leave me with a deep sense that there’s support for the idea of doing more for parents who need child care,” Miller said.

However, Miller said he believes students can make a difference through social and political activism.

“I think being involved in politics, and at the very least, being an informed citizen and voting, is essential. But you’ve got to participate and let the folks here in government know that your priorities are different from theirs, and the problems you think government should address.

“It’s not something that’s going to change things next week, but it can change things in the long run.”