The Care Center is home to Bard Microcollege Holyoke, the nation’s first college for young mothers and low-income women. Bard Microcollege Holyoke proudly boasts a 72% graduation rate. The success is due in large part to the innovative pairing of a tuition-free, high quality college education with built-in supports designed for young mothers: daycare, transportation, counseling, meals and an onsite nurse practitioner.
A $4 million endowment for the Microcollege will enable The Care Center to continue to move the needle on breaking the cycle of poverty through access to higher education – one student and one family at a time. The Ceres Foundation, a long-time supporter of the Microcollege, committed a gift of $1 million to launch this campaign.
Your Transformational Gift
We invite you to become a part of Moving Women Forward: An Endowment for Bard Microcollege Holyoke. Your contribution will ensure that our students can access higher education and reimagine their future at this critical moment in their lives. It will help hundreds of families break the cycle of financial insecurity—earn college degrees, launch exciting careers, and transform their communities. Your gift will move women and their children forward, now and for years to come.
To learn more about this initiative and to get involved, please contact Jane Slater, Director of Donor Relations at (413) 532-2900 x 128.
Reimagining Higher Education: A Model that Works for Women in Poverty
Young mothers looking to create a better future face a conundrum: a college education is critical to earning a living wage. But traditional colleges are not designed to support students facing poverty, early parenthood, and unstable housing.
The Care Center in Holyoke, MA was created to help young mothers and low-income women go to college. Our high school equivalency program proved extremely successful. Each year, 75% of graduates, all of whom dropped out of public school, went on to college. Getting there was a good first start. Staying proved a challenge. Only 10% of the women were completing college because they lacked the resources necessary to support them. That is why, in 2016, The Care Center, together with Bard College, founded Bard Microcollege Holyoke, the nation’s first college for young mothers and low-income women. This innovative model pairs a tuition-free, high quality college education with built-in supports designed for young mothers: daycare, transportation, counseling, meals, and an onsite nurse practitioner.
Who Are Our Students?
- 81% are mothers
- 100% are low-income women
- 83% are women of color
- 95% are the first in their families to attend college
Bard Microcollege Holyoke currently serves 40-50 women each year and at scale will serve 75 students annually. The Microcollege’s intimate size is intentional. The combined challenges of living in poverty, raising children, and participating in a rigorous academic environment can cause students to doubt themselves and give up. Students receive personal attention from a team of open-minded, resourceful professionals. They are bolstered by the camaraderie of the tight-knit group of fellow students. This high level of individualized support is vital to student persistence and success.
Success Stats
- Bard Microcollege Holyoke has a 72% graduation rate. The graduation rate for associate degree programs nationally is 33% and only 8% for single mothers.
- Nearly half of our graduates have been admitted to Bachelor’s degree programs including at Bard at Annandale, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, Trinity, Elms, Florida Southern, and Bay Path.
- 77% of Bard Microcollege Holyoke graduates are either employed or pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
Read about more of our incredible students and graduates.
