The grant gives the university's Associated Students, which operates the center, $190,000 a year for four years to provide additional child care for the children of CSUN student parents.

"The name of the grant ‹ Child Care Access Means Parents in School ‹ is perfect for our approach," said David Crandall, general manager for Associated Students. "The A.S. tries to offer child care and development for our student parents so that the parents can continue to make progress toward their educational goals as efficiently as possible."

Associated Students is the student government for the campus. It also provides programs and services for students such as child care, recycling, recreational sports and funding of clubs and organizations.

The Children's Center currently provides care and developmentally appropriate instruction to nearly 150 children.

About 129 children, between the ages of 6 months and 5, are cared for in the center's new $2 million on-campus facility, which was built with student funds and dedicated in November of last year.

Up to 30 children between the ages of 3 months and 3 years can be cared for in then center's Family Child Care Network Program. The program helps student parents find licensed day-care facilities that meet state standards and can care for their children while they are in class.

Arlene Rhine, director of the Children's Center, said the grant will provide the center with additional money to help students find child care at licensed day-care facilities for older children up to age 12 and during odd hours.

"For years we've been asked to provide care for older children and on evenings and weekends," Rhine said. "It just wasn't cost effective to keep the center open. It required too much staffing. The money from the grant will help us expand the Family Child Care Network so that we can provide care during school holidays, on weekends and at night, when our students are taking classes."

The grant supplements the Associated Students' contribution, supported by student fees, of approximately $312,000 a year and state grants of about $500,000 a year.

California State University, Northridge has more than 32,500 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."