| Recognizing the importance of childcare services to enable parents to pursue employment, educational, and training opportunities, Del Mar College (DMC), located in the heart of Corpus Christi, Texas, is building a Center for Early Learning. Founded in 1935, Del Mar College is a public, open-admissions community college--the ninth largest comprehensive community college in Texas. In 1952, Del Mar College distinguished itself as the first undergraduate institution in Texas to voluntarily desegregate its campuses. The school is ranked third in Texas in granting associate degrees to Hispanic students, who make up 53 percent of its enrollment.
Del Mar College serves one of the most economically disadvantaged populations in South Texas. Corpus Christi, situated on the Gulf Coast midway between Houston and the Mexican border, is the 7th largest city in Texas and 59th largest in the country. More than 88 percent of the people of Nueces County reside in the City of Corpus Christi, whose population is approximately 292,036. The county is 56.5 percent Hispanic, 38.3 percent White, and 4.1 percent African American. The community is characterized by extreme economic deprivation, high rates of teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, and very low educational and literacy levels among adults and children. Most of the families living in poverty are of Hispanic origin with limited English proficiency and low levels of parental education. The number of families and children in poverty has increased in the county since 1999, while it has decreased nationally and statewide.
One-third of the children in Nueces County live in poverty, the county's per capita income is $21,326, the unemployment rate is 6.3 percent compared to a statewide rate of 4.3 percent, and the estimated median household income is $31,925, with 33.3 percent of the population having a household income of $19,999 or less. One-fourth of the adult population in the county is illiterate. Only 17 percent possess a college degree, and nearly 32 percent of all students entering public high schools do not graduate.
Compared with the rest of Texas, Nueces County has higher rates of juvenile delinquency for the 10- to 14-year-old age range, increasing drug arrests for the same age group, and a higher public school dropout rate. Violence, gang activity, and drug use among juveniles remain among the most common concerns in the community. Nueces County leads the 12 surrounding counties in the number of juvenile arrests. Arrests for drug abuse violations for juveniles increased 493.7 percent from 1990 to 1999. Teenage pregnancy ranks highest among the 11 most populated counties in Texas, which has the second highest rate in the United States.
Eight percent of children are members of families that receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, 37.3 percent are on State Subsidized Child Care, 54 percent receive free or reduced-rate lunch, and 20.9 percent are in single-parent families, the highest percentage in the state. The rate per 1,000 children of confirmed victims of child abuse in the county was greater than that for the state. A local hospital reported a 144-percent increase in abused children treated from 1994-99, and the County Children's Advocacy Center reported a 49.8-percent increase in child abuse victims from 1996 to 1999.
Del Mar College's Center for Early Learning will improve the quality and quantity of childcare services of low- and moderate-income families in the area. There are only five nationally accredited childcare centers and no home-based childcare in Corpus Christi. One center is a half-day program for upper-middle income families, one is a military program operated on a Naval Air Station, and the other three are too expensive for low- and moderate-income families who need a sliding fee scale. One additional center and seven homes are becoming accredited. Average hourly wage for caregivers is $6.17.
The college has a history of successful experience in educating and preparing professionals to work successfully with young children and families, providing credit programs in Child Development/Early Childhood since 1976. The Department has worked with such local institutions as the Project Teacher Start initiative and Nueces County Head Start.
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