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Joint Center Releases Research on the Importance of Child Care Support for Black Students at Community Colleges

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The CCAMPIS program is a federal program designed to support student parents with childcare access and expenses. Colleges that receive CCAMPIS grants can use the funding to subsidize childcare costs for Pell Grant-eligible students

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2025

Oakland Post

Analysis examines the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program

By Justin Nalley and Gabrielle Smith Finnie, Ph.D.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, today published an issue brief, “Black Student Parents’ Access to Affordable Child Care Support at Community Colleges.” The brief examines the availability of the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program at community colleges with an enrollment of at least 40 percent Black students and offers legislative proposals for congressional reauthorization and adequate appropriations for this critical childcare program. The CCAMPIS program is a federal program designed to support student parents with childcare access and expenses. Colleges that receive CCAMPIS grants can use the funding to subsidize childcare costs for Pell Grant-eligible students, support campus-based or community-based childcare programs, provide before or after-school childcare services, or provide student support like financial and career counseling.

“Receiving access to higher education can significantly increase income, skill development, employment opportunities, and much more, all critical factors that can help Black student parents achieve their goals and secure access to family-sustaining wages,” said co-author Joint Center Senior Policy Analyst, Workforce Policy Justin Nalley. “Black students are more likely to be parents than other racial groups at both community colleges and four-year institutions and the costs of pursuing postsecondary education and for childcare are particularly burdensome for student parents. The need to enhance the CCAMPIS program for Black student parents is more prevalent than ever, particularly when Congress reauthorizes the Higher Education Act.” The research found that community colleges with substantial Black student populations were underrepresented among CCAMPIS recipients. Nationally, 13 percent of community colleges have at least 40 percent Black enrollment. The share of community college CCAMPIS recipients with Black enrollment above 40 percent fluctuated minimally between five percent to seven percent during the 2017–2022 period, well below the 13 percent representation rate.

Co-author Joint Center Policy Analyst, Workforce Policy Dr. Gabrielle Smith Finnie, said, “According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Black student parents account for 30 percent of undergraduate student parents, but only 15 percent of CCAMPIS participants were Black. Strengthening CCAMPIS could help increase retention and completion rates for Black student parents and boost overall economic growth.”

The following policy recommendations offer ways to enhance CCAMPIS to support Black student parents:

Increase CCAMPIS program appropriations: Congressional appropriations for CCAMPIS were $50 million in the academic year 2018–19, $65 million in the academic year 2021-22, and $75 million in the academic year 2023–24. This growth is meaningful but should be increased. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $80 million for the academic year 2025–26. Other CCAMPIS expansion proposals have called for as much as $250 million in annual appropriations for the program to adequately meet student-parent needs. An increase in CCAMPIS appropriations should raise grantee funding, fully cover out-of-pocket childcare expenses for student-parent participants, and reach more program participants.
Collect federal data on students’ parenting status: Black student parents are often a hidden population due to the lack of federal data collection on students’ parenting status. Congress should pass a version of the Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2023 to improve data collection for student parents in higher education. The bill would expand IPEDS data collection to include variables such as the number of students identifying as parents, their enrollment status, and median income. If passed, the law would require a study on the best practices to improve outcomes for student parents at higher education institutions, including enrollment trends for the availability of campus-based childcare services, including CCAMPIS grants. The bill also would require that findings be disaggregated by race and ethnicity, reported to Congress, and made publicly available.

Produce publicly available, racially disaggregated CCAMPIS performance reports: CCAMPIS grants report data on the population served, campus and community resources used to help low-income students access childcare services, progress on childcare facility accreditation, and grant impact on the quality, availability, and affordability of campus-based childcare services. The U.S. Department of Education quantifies CCAMPIS’s success by measuring postsecondary persistence and degree completion rates. The CCAMPIS program should disaggregate participant enrollment and outcomes by race and ethnicity to the extent feasible to protect student privacy. This would allow the U.S. Department of Education and college leadership to determine whether the program reaches and supports Black student parents. Publicly available reports will enhance the transparency of the CCAMPIS program and its participants.

Conduct an equity analysis of CCAMPIS awardees: The U.S. Department of Education should build upon this study and conduct an equity analysis of past CCAMPIS awardees to uncover potential inequities and ensure that the share of CCAMPIS community college grantees with substantial Black student enrollment is proportionate to their representation in the larger community college population. The CCAMPIS grant process strongly relies on student-parent data, which is difficult to collect. The proposed equity analysis could review the application process and scoring procedures, outreach and notification processes, funding distribution, and enrollment demographics and outcomes of CCAMPIS awardee institutions.

Remove limitations to federal childcare and basic needs support: The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is a federal-state partnership program that subsidizes low-income families’ participation in work-related education and training programs by making childcare services available through vouchers, direct family benefits, and provider contracts. CCDF allows states to design income and eligibility requirements for families to receive childcare assistance. States may allow higher education participation as an eligibility criterion, but many states have restrictions on how long education and job training can count for eligibility. To decrease barriers and support student parents, states should allow education and training to count for working hours and extend or remove time limits on how long parents can pursue an education or job training program.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

admin

Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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