CCCares Young Parents Program at Canberra College operates in a purpose-built centre in Phillip costing $14.5m, opened in March 2015. Since 2003, CCCares has successfully catered for the specific needs of pregnant and parenting young people, providing onsite childcare, transport to and from school, easy access to the additional curriculum offered within the mainstream program as well as a holistic health service, links with external agencies to provide advocacy and support, a virtual enterprise environment, hair and beauty salon, focus group room, hospitality suite, home kitchens and more. In 2015 it had 168 year 11 and 12 students and 184 children who attended school with them. See here for the ABC news report.
CCCares was the result of a partnership between the ACT Education and Training Directorate and the University of Canberra. The CCCares program has been acknowledged as best practice in the field and is now used Australia-wide and overseas. Dr Iain Hay’s 2004 research: Clearing them for Learning: Exploring the critical factors for success in school-based young mothers’ education programs was influential in the decision to establish the new centre.
In 2009 CCCares won a $750,000 Schools First grant from the National Australia Bank’s program that rewards schools for unique and beneficial programs. Funds from this grant were used to support the program and for founding the Australian Young, Pregnant and Parenting Network, allowing the success of CCCares to be made available nationally.
Jan Marshall, now deputy principal at Canberra College, has managed the CCCares program since its inception and was awarded a Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Awards 2011. She is a founding member of AYPPN.
For a more detailed report see here from the Dusseldorp Forum.