Night Watch
Itsy Bitsy Child Watch adding evening hours
Holyoke Community College has been awarded a $245,000 grant from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation to add additional staff and evening hours to its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program.
The grant will pay for the hiring of two more staff workers (one full time and one part time). That will allow the child watch center to increase capacity by operating a second classroom during its busiest daytime hours and also by adding care hours in the evenings for students who take classes at night.
Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free center on HCC’s main campus for parents in need of short-term childcare while they attend class, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program in fall 2022 and was so successful it quickly reached capacity in its original location.
In September 2025, the child watch center opened in a larger, newly renovated space funded by a previous $600,000 grant from the Davis Foundation.
“At the Davis Foundation, we have five priorities: We fund early childhood, early literacy, the K-16 pathway, youth development, and economic mobility,” Executive Director Kiley O’Meara said at the grand reopening celebration for the center. “So, it’s everything that you all are doing here, every day. Really, every college needs this, and we’re just thrilled to be a part of it.”
The new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center, located on the second floor of the Frost Building, roughly doubled the capacity of children it can serve at any given time, from 10 to 19. It has two full classrooms for different age groups, a dedicated children’s bathroom, an office, an adjoining gross motor skills room, and an expanded kitchenette with a dishwasher and full-size refrigerator.
“It’s a beautiful space,” said President George Timmons, “but it isn’t just about square footage. This is about possibility and removing barriers. This is about saying to student parents, we see you; we support you; and we want you to get to the finish line.”
According to Kimm Quinlan, HCC director of early childhood initiatives, student parents who use the child watch service have higher than average course completion rates and are more likely to graduate.
“We know it works,” Quinlan said. “With the generous support of the Davis Foundation, Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is able to meet a critical need for our parenting students. We are deeply grateful for this investment, which brings real relief to our program and will allow us to better support student success across our community.”
The Itsy Bitsy Child Watch program, which serves children from three months to 12 years old, is now open Mondays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Starting in the fall 2026 semester, the center will also be open for evening care four to five evenings a week.
