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.

Free or low-cost child care available for students

Are you considering college, but concerned about the cost of child care while you attend classes and study?

There’s good news – TCC is here to help.

The college was recently awarded a $667,883 federal grant to provide quality child care for parents in need who are pursuing higher education at TCC.

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Education, TCC is able to offer the TCC Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Scholarship. That means students with children and financial needs may qualify for reduced or no-cost child care, starting Spring Semester 2023.

“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,” said Jenefer Snyder, associate vice president of grants and sponsored programs.

Currently, the TCC CCAMPIS Scholarship provides students with care at local accredited child care centers. A list of approved providers can be found here. In the coming months, students will also be able to use the funds at TCC’s on-campus child care centers, which are set to reopen soon.

The time to apply for Spring Semester starts Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15, 2022.

The scholarship can be used only for the semester awarded. Students who want ongoing assistance must reapply for the scholarship each semester. To learn more and apply, visit here.

For help with enrollment, reach out to TCC’s Virtual Student Support Team at enroll@tcc.edu or call 757-822-1111.

Counting down TCC’s 2018 milestones

What a year 2018 proved to be for Tidewater Community College, which marked its 50^th anniversary with a number of milestones.

A few highlights: The college celebrated its new footprint in Norfolk’s NEON District with the announcement of a new visual arts, culinary arts and restaurant management center coming in 2021, and it will benefit from a major gift for its hospitality program. Thanks to the generosity of Pat and Doug Perry, the newly named TCC Pat & Douglas Perry Glass Wheel Studio will also expand TCC’s offerings in the NEON District.

There’s more: TCC opened an academy in Portsmouth dedicated to the skilled trades, launched a technical training center for nonviolent offenders and announced plans for major redevelopment at College Point.

Take a look back at our top 10 highlights from a very good year.

10. No wonder vets feel at home at TCC, where about one-third of enrollment is military-related students. Military Times named the college “Best for Vets,” and tops in Virginia among two-year schools. Gov. Ralph Northam visited TCC in March for a Women’s Veteran Roundtable. In the fall, TCC received a fourth federal grant to help veterans transition into trucking careers.

9. TCC welcomed its second class of STEM Promise Program scholars – 19 students who will receive tuition and fees for two years while working toward an associate degree. Our inaugural class of STEM scholars will graduate this spring.

8. Joined by Priority Automotive and the Norfolk Sheriff’s office, TCC opened the Priority Technical Training Center in September, a state-of-the-art facility that offers nonviolent offenders a pathway to good careers after their release.

7. TCC’s Early Childhood Education program earned its own milestone. Last summer, the program achieved first-time accreditation from the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.

6. Students at the Regional Automotive Center teamed together to finish a project car on behalf of their classmate, Jordan McNair, who died in a fatal automobile accident before graduation. Priority Automotive established a scholarship in his name.

Jordan McNair’s Honda PACT classmates who completed his project car are (standing left-right) Demian Rose, Demetrio Gallegos, Zack Kronske, instructor David Lee, Christian Benner, Dominique Martin and Eric Carmel. Not pictured, Drew Isom.

5. A new partnership between TCC and Old Dominion University allows students to receive credit for knowledge, training and skills achieved in the workplace. TCC’s Associate of Applied Science in Technical Studies with a Specialization in Technical Supervision allows students to earn an associate degree in as little as three semesters.

4. New businesses along with residential and green space will be part of a dynamic new center with stunning water views thanks to the TCC Real Estate Foundation developing what’s been called “the last and best property available in Hampton Roads.” The northern Suffolk site, known as College Point, was TCC’s original home.

3. Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Bobby Scott joined TCC President Gregory DeCinque for the dedication of a unique academy in Portsmouth that provides short-term workforce training for in-demand construction and maritime trades. The 20,000-square-foot facility will teach students everything from welding to pipe fitting to marine coating and pipe laying.

2. A seven-figure donation from a Virginia Beach restaurateur will pave the way for the Houston “Hu” Odom Jr. School of Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management in the NEON District. Odom is president and founder of BOTH, Inc., a franchisee of Golden Corral restaurants. His gift will also be used to provide scholarships for students from Norfolk Public Schools who plan careers in restaurant management.

1. TCC made a splash @NEON in a big way! The Patricia & Douglas Perry TCC Center for Visual & Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management will be a jewel and a gamechanger. Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander announced plans for the innovative, 47,000-square-foot center during his State of the City address last spring.

The transformative project will expand TCC’s visual arts program, train the next generation of chefs with a comprehensive culinary arts program, inaugurate a program in restaurant and hospitality management in Norfolk, provide dual-enrollment opportunities for Norfolk high school students and create a wealth of opportunities for collaboration.

See more TCC news.

TCC’s Early Childhood Education program earns national accreditation

Tidewater Community College’s Early Childhood Education program has achieved first-time national accreditation from the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.

TCC is one of only two associate programs in the state accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Northern Virginia Community College is the other.

TCC’s Early Childhood Education program prepares students in the care, supervision and education of young children from birth to age 8. The college offers a 62-credit Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and certificates in Early Childhood Instruction, Child Development, Preschool and Educational Support.

Graduates are prepared for work in settings that include preschools, child care centers, Head Start programs, private schools, public schools and before- and after-school programs. Students who graduate from the associate program are equipped to transfer to four-year programs.

TCC holds transfer agreements with Norfolk State University and Bellevue University.

“National accreditation benefits us in many ways,” said Jeanne Hopkins, department chair and assistant professor of Early Childhood Education on the Portsmouth Campus. “We are intentional in creating a comprehensive program for our students that makes them attractive candidates for employment upon graduation.”

Programs accredited by NAEYC demonstrate that they:

Align to NAEYC’s Professional Preparation Standard
Respond to the unique needs of their degree candidates and communities
Provide intentional learning experiences for their degree candidates to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to be effective early childhood educators

Founded in 1926, the NAEYC is the largest and most influential advocate for high-quality early care and education in the United States.

Fall classes at TCC begin on Aug. 20.

For more information about TCC’s Early Childhood Education program, visit www.tcc.edu/academics/professional-services/programs/early-childhood-development-degree. Contact Hopkins at jehopkins@tcc.edu (Portsmouth Campus), Cassandra Andrews at candrews@tcc.edu (Norfolk Campus) or Maggie Charlton at mcharlton@tcc.edu (Chesapeake and Virginia Beach campuses).

Mom and daughter earning same associate degree on same day

Linda and Danielle Owens close up the Joint-Use Library almost every weeknight.

They’re not staff, they’re late-night study partners who will be Tidewater Community College graduates on May 12. They will sit side by side at the Ted Constant Convocation Center where each will be conferred an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education at the college’s 66th Commencement Exercises.

It will be a memorable moment for mother, Linda, and daughter, Danielle.

“I didn’t think I could do it; now I’ve done it,” said Linda, ready to begin work on a bachelor’s in early childhood education at Norfolk State University after she completes a second degree, an Associate of Science in Social Science, at TCC. “I’m 57 and I’m graduating. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.”

Linda vividly recalls sitting in the audience watching her son, Robert, finish with his doctorate from Grantham University. The longtime bus driver for Virginia Beach Schools regretted not having a college degree herself.

Linda and Danielle Owens studying together in the Joint-Use Library.

Around the same time, Linda learned she needed college classes to be considered for a promotion at Hampton Roads Transit, her summertime job.

“I decided it was my turn to get my own college degree,” she said.

She started at TCC in 2016, where Danielle, 25, had been a student since 2012. A learning disability made retaining material difficult for Danielle, who was regularly frustrated by navigating high school.

Danielle’s soft spot for children motivated her for a career in early childhood education, but it wasn’t until she worked closely with TCC disability counselor Vickie Rogers that she realized a college degree was attainable.

“She kept me on track,” Danielle said.

Now she’s finishing up her final semester internship at Wave Children’s Learning Center in Virginia Beach, where she’s also been hired to work with toddlers.

“If I could work for free, I would,” she said. “That’s how much I love it. The kids give me hugs all the time.”

Danielle’s struggles to overcome her disability led to Linda choosing the same degree path at TCC.

“I want to catch the problems that didn’t get caught with her,” she said. “I want to work with special needs kids as young as kindergarten.”

Focus was key to completion for both of them. It would have been easy for Linda to finish her bus route and head home to relax. Danielle can fall into the trap of distractions replacing homework at night if she isn’t careful.

That’s why the two are regulars at the Joint-Use Library, where they review course material together, compare lesson plan homework and seek out help when needed. Both are on a first-name basis with library staff and have used the Learning Assistance Center on the Virginia Beach Campus.

“All your resources are right here,” said Linda, her class materials sprawled out in front of a computer. “Everyone knows us here. We’re the last ones to leave.”

Both earned certificates in December and also walked in that commencement. But walking together to pick up their associate degrees is a bigger milestone. Mom and daughter, who have skydived together and weathered Busch Gardens’ most intimidating rollercoasters as a pair, understand how special this is.

“Not everyone gets to go to college with their mom,” Danielle said. “When I cross that stage on May 12, I’m going to think of success and my reaction to my high school graduation after accomplishing all those goals. I bawled my eyes out. I couldn’t see college then; now it’s right there.”

TCC to host Early Childhood Education & Recreation Career Fair on March 15

Tidewater Community College will host an Early Childhood Education and Recreation Career Fair and Hiring Event on March 15.

The event, which is open to the public, will be held at the Virginia Beach Campus Student Center in the gymnasium, K204, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Among the employers present for this networking opportunity are:

City of Suffolk Parks & Recreation
Continental Pools
Creative World School – River Walk
Kids Town Learning Center
Nauticus
Ocean Breeze Waterpark
Primrose School of Virginia Beach South
Simon Family Jewish Community Center
St. Andrew Preschool
St. Mary’s Home
Strelitz-Early Childhood Education Center
Virginia Beach Youth Opportunities Office
Wave Children’s Learning Center
YMCA of South Hampton Roads

Applicants should wear appropriate interview attire and bring multiple copies of their resumé.

RSVP is required by registering with TCC’s Career Success Network. Non-TCC students and alumni can register as guests.

For additional information, call 757-822-7228.

TCC’s Career Services Center has scheduled additional fairs this spring in the following areas:

Information Technology & Business, March 29
Customer Service & Hospitality, April 12
Maritime, Manufacturing, Industrial/Trades, April 24
Health Professions & Human Services, May 3

Find updates at tcc.edu/careerfairs.