KBOCC Awarded $300,000 grant
To address barriers for adult students
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L'ANSE -- Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) is one of six colleges in Michigan to receive a two-year grant supporting strategies that address barriers to education for adult students, administrators announced Friday.
The funding is provided by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential's (MiLEAP) Reconnect Enroll with Momentum Grants Program. According to the MiLEAP website, KBOCC will receive $300,000 over the two-year grant period, which runs from August 2026 through July 2028.
The college will utilize the allocation to expand evening hours at the Ojibwa Early Childhood Learning Center (OELC), giving non-traditional students who balance work, school, and family responsibilities greater access to childcare while pursuing higher education.
Stacey Somero, childcare coordinator at the OELC, said childcare continues to be a significant deficit in the area.
"For KBOCC students who are also parents, finding reliable childcare that works with their class schedules can be a major challenge," Somero said.
By expanding the learning center's services to include evening care, Somero said the college is addressing a chronic community need while giving students one less barrier as they work toward their education.
"We want parents to be able to attend class knowing their children are receiving high-quality care in a safe, supportive, and familiar environment," she said. "My hope is that this additional support will help our student-parents stay focused on their goals and continue their education."
Statewide, the MiLEAP program grants focus on making enrollment easier to navigate, expanding flexible learning options, improving Credit for Prior Learning systems, increasing access to childcare, and directly connecting classroom education to high-demand careers.
Kit Laux, KBOCC executive director of community programs, emphasized that the state investment strengthens the institution’s ability to support non-traditional paths.
"By providing greater flexibility in childcare options, we can better support students as they balance the demands of school, work, and family," Laux said. "This investment strengthens our ability to meet learners where they are at and offer students stronger pathways to their educational goals."
According to the college’s statement, the investment also supports Michigan's broader “Sixty by 30” initiative, which aims to increase the percentage of working-age adults with a postsecondary credential or technical certificate to 60 percent by the year 2030.
For KBOCC, administrators say the grant represents an opportunity to strengthen the vital connection between reliable childcare, higher education, and regional workforce development while building sustainable supports for student-parents.