Our Mission
Our formula is simple: Childcare + Education = Economic Mobility. Each Nana Grant covers 100% of the cost of childcare through graduation for low-income student mothers attending an accredited college, university or approved job training program in Georgia.
Our goal is to remove the uncertainty of continuous, quality child care from the equation so that student mothers can focus on their studies, graduate and have a rewarding, well-compensated career.
Our moms say it best…
“Thank you for valuing my military experience, as well as my passion to now advance as a civilian in my studies. By awarding me this grant, you have lightened my financial burden, which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school: learning. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.”
— Azizah, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
“It gets hard, but I remind myself each day I’ve got to do this. If I don’t do this, I’m not just letting myself down, I’m letting her down.”
— Diana, Georgia Southern University
"I have now earned a bachelor's and master's degree, and I just enrolled to get my doctorate. I now have a job with a pharmaceutical company making a 6 figure salary. Without Nana Grants in those early years, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
— Sandra, University of West Georgia
“Thank you for walking with me and [my son] through this process and taking us to the finish line. We so, so appreciate you!”
— Cat, Gwinnett Technical College
40% of Georgia’s low-income working families with children are headed by single women.
When we talk about lifting families out of poverty, we must acknowledge that most of these families include children who require childcare while parents work and go to school.
Single mothers with only a high school diploma are three times more likely to live in poverty as those with college degrees. For every dollar a single mother invests in an associate’s degree, her family gets back $16.45 in increased earnings.
Without childcare, HOPE is out of reach for low-income parents.
Georgia’s HOPE Scholarships make college free for many Georgia residents. But without childcare, education remains inaccessible to the families who would most benefit from these scholarships.
The median cost of child care ranges between $6,000 and $10,000, depending on the child care center’s location. No matter where you attend a technical college in the state of Georgia, child care can cost up to three times more than tuition and fees.
Student parents achieve higher grade point averages (GPA) than other students.
Though many student parents enroll in college, the added responsibility of caring for children makes it more challenging to complete a credential. Graduation rates for student parents are lower than for non-parenting students. These rates are even lower for single parents. Most student parents lack extra financial resources. Most work, but single parents have higher levels of unmet financial need than their peers and hold more student debt. Despite these challenges, student parents earn higher grades in general. One-third of student parents have a 3.5 GPA or higher.