Supporting Children of Agriculture Workers
Seasonal agricultural workers are essential to the U.S. agricultural industry. They help feed the country by working long hours planting and harvesting crops, caring for livestock, and laboring in meat and poultry processing plants. They also enrich communities through their unique life experiences, cultures, and languages.
While seasonal agricultural workers play a vital role in food production, they also face significant economic hardships. Throughout history, they have encountered challenges related to wages, health, working conditions, housing, and education. Children of agricultural workers often experience obstacles in completing high school and pursuing higher education. Frequent moves and educational disruptions contribute to both a high drop-out rate and low college attendance.
Since 1972, federally-funded College Assistance Migrant Programs (CAMPs) have helped children of agricultural workers pursue higher levels of education and secure jobs that contribute to the economic well-being of their families and communities. Heartland CAMP is one of over 50 similar projects across the country that annually serve approximately 2,400 students during their first year of college.
CAMP projects are proven effective in supporting first-year college success and retention rates for children of agricultural workers. The most recent data show that 88.2% of all CAMP participants successfully completed their first year of college, and 96.6% of those who completed their first-year continued on to their second year in college.