New Child Development Centers opening at TCC Campuses

Tidewater Community College values quality education for both you and your children, which is why new TCC Child Development Centers will be opening on the Portsmouth and Norfolk Campuses starting Fall Semester 2023. These centers will provide quality care and developmental learning for children of TCC students, helping them thrive while their parents pursue higher education. Full-time students with a FAFSA on file with the Financial Aid office are eligible to apply for child care scholarships.

The first center will open on the Portsmouth Campus in mid-August followed by a second location on the Norfolk Campus opening in January 2024. The Child Development Centers will be staffed by TCC’s Early Childhood Development program alumni and students. They will focus on teaching children school readiness and important skills through play.

Ciera Streeter, director of TCC’s Childhood Development Centers, urges all students with children ages 3-5 to apply for this opportunity. She said, “Parents will be able to attend in-person classes, complete internships or program requirements and feel relief from financial barriers, all while their children receive high-quality care.”

TCC Child Development Center services are available to any currently enrolled TCC student in need of child care. In addition, students can use financial aid to cover child care costs. Students can authorize TCC to charge the cost of child care services to their remaining financial aid, after the cost of tuition, fees and any bookstore charges have been deducted.

Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, TCC is also able to offer the Child Care Access Means Parents (CCAMPIS) in School scholarships. Students with children and financial needs can receive reduced or no-cost child care. To learn more and apply, visit here. The scholarship will be open for applications between June 15, 2023 – Aug. 25, 2023.

Each center will provide safe, convenient and consistent child care five days a week. Center hours are Monday – Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for children 3 to 5 years of age, with after-school and drop-in care available for children up to 12 years of age.

The TCC Child Development Centers are in the following locations:

Norfolk Campus, Norfolk Student Center, TCC Child Development Center, Room 213
Portsmouth Campus, Portsmouth Student Center, TCC Child Development Center, E101

To learn more about child care at TCC and to register your child, visit here. For more information, contact Streeter at cstreeter@tcc.edu or by calling 757-822-1099.

For information about TCC’s CCAMPIS scholarship, please contact LaShell Currie, Childcare Provider liaison by emailing lcurrie@tcc.edu or calling 757-822-1796.

TCC to provide tuition-free education through Gov. Northam’s “G3” program

Tidewater Community College will offer tuition-free education to low- and middle-income students through Gov. Ralph Northam’s “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” initiative, or “G3” program, which was signed into legislation on March 29, 2021.

The “G3” program includes $36 million to cover tuition, fees, and books and provide wraparound support for eligible students at the Commonwealth’s two-year public institutions.

“This is a phenomenal day for TCC and the students we serve,” said Dr. Michelle Woodhouse, interim vice president of academics and chief academic officer. “This program will help many students retrain for new careers in high-demand industries and expand the pipeline of talent for Virginia’s businesses.”

The “G3” program connects students with training and resources so they can secure jobs in high-demand fields and support their families without incurring high levels of student loan debt.

“G3” program areas include health care, information technology and computer science, manufacturing and skilled trades, public safety, and early childhood education. On average, students in these high-demand degree programs increase their wages by 60 percent upon program completion.

TCC alum Marcus Moody teaches welding at the Portsmouth Campus.

TCC alum Marcus Moody teaches welding on the Portsmouth Campus, which is home to the area’s largest welding lab. He came to TCC in 2012 to retrain for a new career after being laid off from a job in the banking industry. “A program like this would have been helpful to me. I would not have been able to improve myself and learn a new skill without the financial aid and the lower tuition rates at TCC,” Moody said.

“I encourage anyone to take advantage of the opportunities at TCC, including the skilled trades. I talk with my students about the options for welders, from working at the shipyard to owning your own business. Once you learn the skill, it’s yours for life.”

The “G3” program is one of the first in the nation to provide wraparound financial assistance to help students at the lowest income levels with expenses such as food, transportation, and childcare. Students who qualify for a full federal Pell grant and enroll full-time will receive student- support incentive grants on a semester basis. These grants will be in an amount up to $900 per semester and up to $450 per summer term.

Students interested in “G3” programs at TCC should call the Virtual Student Support Team at 757-822-1111 or email info@tcc.edu.

Need $$$$ for college? Avoid these pitfalls when applying for financial aid

Stressed about paying for college? If you’re planning on college, don’t overlook the important step of applying for financial aid. You might qualify for grants and scholarships – money you don’t have to pay back – work-study jobs – paid part-time work that’s generally on campus – or loans – funds you can repay after graduation.

If you’re attending Tidewater Community College this summer or have plans to be a student in the fall, here are some important tips to remember when applying for financial aid.

Yes, you can still apply for financial aid for summer even if you’re already enrolled in a summer class. Jen Perkinson, enrollment team manager at TCC, stresses she has seen students receive aid as late as their final week of classes. Yes, TCC’s priority deadline to file the FAFSA is April 1, but it is not too late. So if you haven’t filled out your FAFSA, what are you waiting for?
When you fill out your FAFSA, be sure to send the results to TCC by using the code 003712. The form will list that as being “TCC Norfolk,” but it applies to all of TCC’s campuses.
You don’t pay a cent to apply for financial aid or scholarships – FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Complete the form online at fafsa.gov or download paper forms there. Do not go to any other URL to fill out the FAFSA.
The deadline to apply for TCC scholarships is June 1. For more information, visit tcc.edu/scholarships.
If you or your family has filed a tax return in the last two years, the FAFSA has actually gotten easier to complete. Thanks to the IRS data retrieval tool, you can import information directly from the IRS website. This transfers data from a federal income tax return directly to the FAFSA. To see if you are eligible to use this time-saving tool, after you log in to your FAFSA, go to the “Student Financial Information” tab or, if relevant, the “Parent Financial Information” tab and follow the prompts.
Want help with your FAFSA? Consult your high school’s ACCESS counselor, who can walk you through the process. If you are not in school, call the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) at 757-683-2312 to make an appointment for free assistance. You can also email the EOC at eoc@edufind.org.
Be aware that in addition to tuition, financial aid can pay for child care, meal plans and HRT transportation.
If you are offered loans, make sure you need them as you will have to pay those back. If you are offered a subsidized loan, interest does not accrue until you graduate.
If two weeks have passed and you haven’t heard about your financial aid, reach out to TCC at 757-822-1111. We are always here to help.

Explore your options during TCC’s College Preview Day, April 14

Discover why Tidewater Community College is the best place to earn your degree at College Preview Day on April 14.

Students and their families will get a firsthand look at all TCC offers by meeting program representatives, attending information sessions and receiving one-on-one help. Information regarding every campus will be available.

The event on the Chesapeake Campus, 1428 Cedar Road, is from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

At TCC’s College Preview Day, prospective students can:

Explore college programs and career pathways
Learn about financial aid
Find out about student services, including tutoring and child care
Talk with counselors and advisors
Prepare to enroll for summer classes and fall semester

Registration is recommended by visiting www.tcc.edu/open.

Summer classes begin May 21. Fall classes will start on Aug. 20.

Questions? Call 757-822-1111 or email enroll@tcc.edu.

On first visit to TCC as governor, Northam meets with women veterans

In February, Gov. Ralph Northam and the General Assembly declared the third full week in March as Women Veterans Week in Virginia. On Friday, the inaugural observance concluded with a roundtable at Tidewater Community College’s Virginia Beach Campus to give female veterans a chance to bend the governor’s ear on issues important to them.

The event was organized by the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs and TCC’s Center for Military and Veterans Education.

Northam said his administration will continue efforts from the previous administration of Gov. Terry McAuliffe to improve veterans’ experiences in Virginia.

“We have effectively ended veteran homelessness,” he told the 13 members of the roundtable. “Through our Virginia Values Veterans – V3 – program more than 31,000 vets have been hired.” The goal, he said, is to keep valuable, well-trained former military personnel in Virginia.

He noted that Virginia has the largest percentage of female veterans in the country, and he wanted to hear from the panelists about their challenges.

Oluyinka Adelegan, who served in the U.S. Army as a Medical Service Corps officer, said her transition into civilian life was positive. Given her medical training, she had job offers from several health systems but added, “It’s a tough decision whether to stay in Virginia.”

ralph-northam-women-veterans-roundtable — Gov. Ralph Northam listens to panelist at Women Veterans Roundtable

“No it’s not,” the governor responded with a laugh, adding that he wants to keep medically trained veterans in Virginia by further streamlining the process of getting corpsmen and medics into civilian jobs through Virginia’s Military Medics and Corpsmen (MMAC) Program.

The women made a point that, after 20 years or more of service, veterans are eligible for benefits including health care and mental health counseling. “But if you don’t have 20 years or you don’t have a job, you’re on your own,” said one panelist. Northam said that situation would improve if a state budget is approved with an expansion of Medicaid.

Child care is another hurdle for not only veterans, but also active-duty service members – especially single parents. “If you don’t have income, you can’t find child care and you can’t go to school,” said Cassandra Harris, an on-base TCC representative at Naval Station Norfolk.

Child care providers need to be trained in how to deal with children whose parents are in the military, especially when they are deployed. “They need extra care,” said Dawn Johns, a TCC student. “They need someone to watch and understand their actions and behavior.” She said her daughter attends TCC’s Child Development Center, operated by the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, on the Portsmouth Campus.

Kathy Owens, a retired Navy pilot, said some reciprocity or coordination among states with school calendars, GPA calculations and advanced placement credits would also be ideal.

However, the biggest complaints were reserved for something the governor does not control: VA medical centers, especially the one in Hampton. “They’re swamped,” said Juanita Williams, a Navy vet. “The VA is the primary health care provider for so many.”

Asked what she would do if she were governor for the day, one panelist said, “I would have an easy button.’ I want someone I can call, and if they don’t know the answer they’ll find out, not transfer me 15 times.”

Another said, “We shouldn’t have to call our senators and representatives to get help.”

“Our veterans should be at the top of the queue, not the bottom,” Northam said. “I hear you. I don’t have the answers, but my administration and I are committed to working with the VA and finding solutions.”

Two new members of the House of Delegates from Virginia Beach, Del. Cheryl Turpin and Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler, were on hand. Also among those in attendance were representatives for Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Donald McEachin and Rep. Bobby Scott.

Veronica Cianetti, director of military student support at the CMVE and an Army veteran, said TCC is unique in its wraparound services for veterans, noting, “It was great to have Governor Northam here today so he could get a little taste of what we do at TCC.”