Brightway partners with SUNY to boost low-income student parent success
Innovative program increases support for student parents by $2 million
White Plains, NY – September 12, 2023 – Brightway Education Foundation announced today that it is partnering with the State University of New York (SUNY) college system to implement a program to help low-income student parents succeed despite the tremendous challenges they face balancing work, childcare, and college.
The program is being launched in conjunction with SUNY’s expansion of the highly successful City University of New York (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) into SUNY community colleges, which is part of a $75 million Transformation Fund from Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature. ASAP delivers a comprehensive set of integrated resources and wraparound supports to low-income associate-degree-seeking students to help them graduate in a timely manner. The program has been replicated across seven states and consistently proven to significantly increase student completion rates.
The Brightway-SUNY program will provide essential supplementary support for student parents who are primary caregivers and participate in ASAP, including covering 100% of a parent’s childcare costs and providing emergency cash assistance. Brightway and SUNY will each be investing $1 million in the program over three years.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said: “The Brightway-SUNY program is a shining example of how the public and private sectors can work together to innovate and leverage tax payer and philanthropic dollars. At SUNY we have prioritized student success, and our work with Brightway will enable us to provide the critical supports our student parents need.”
“We greatly value Brightway’s leadership, expertise, and funding in helping our low-income student parents complete their college education, which is essential for many families to realize economic mobility,” said Donna Linderman, Senior Vice Chancellor of Student Success at SUNY. “Brightway is a great partner and a pleasure to work with.”
David Landau, Brightway’s Chair, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with the team at SUNY who share our passion to help parents get themselves and their kids out of poverty through earning a community college or college degree. We are confident that the Brightway-SUNY initiative will be both efficient and effective because it is being implemented in concert with the SUNY Transformation Fund and ASAP, and is under the leadership of Donna Linderman, who was responsible for building ASAP before she joined SUNY.”
About Brightway Education Foundation
Brightway’s mission is to help single moms break the cycle of inter-generational poverty for themselves and their kids through earning a community college or college degree. Brightway partners with community college and college systems, and independent program providers, to fund supports that have been demonstrated to help increase single moms’ college persistence and completion.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.