Student's mother studying with her daughter
One in five college students is a parent, and states are beginning to recognize that helping this group of students earn a degree is an important part of their college success strategy.
Ensuring the success of students' parents has multiple benefits. Supporting the success of student parents means success and financial security not only for the student but for the entire family.
Support for students with children varies across the country, from scholarship programs to early registration for classes to on-campus childcare.
States are taking different approaches to supporting students with children
California was one of the first states to enact legislation aimed at making it easier for parents to succeed in college. For example, California passed a law requiring public universities to offer students who are raising children priority registration for classes, and the complex schedules students with children create with studying, working, and caring for children. We help you arrange classes so that you can manage your time well.
Texas also responded to calls to ensure students with children have the support to succeed. The Texas Legislature passed several bills last year related to student parent issues. As a result, similar to California law, schools must designate a liaison who can not only connect parenting students to resources, but also provide students with priority registration.
Texas' new law also requires Texas public universities to collect data on the number of students raising children on campus. Better data on how many parenting students there are on campus has been a long-term goal of parenting student advocates. It's difficult to figure out how best to serve students with children when universities don't know who they are, how many children they have, or how old the children are. After all, there is a huge difference in the type of support needed between the parent of a 2 year old and the parent of her 17 year old.
Maryland recently introduced a bill that would require universities in the state to collect better data on the number of parenting students they enroll. Generation Hope, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that supports students who are raising children, supported the introduction of this bill and believes it is a first step toward providing better support for students.
Washington is the first state in the nation to enact legislation similar to Maryland's bill, and child care student advocacy groups hope similar legislation will be introduced across the country. Maryland's bill failed this year, but will likely be reintroduced next year.
Pennsylvania recently launched a grant program that provides funding to universities to support students who are raising children. The grant grew out of the state's work with Temple University's Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, which created a learning network for six universities in the state. Some of the network's proposals led to new grant competitions. There is a total of $1.6 million in grants that universities can apply for and use to provide direct assistance to students who are raising children.
“Today's postsecondary students are more diverse than ever, coming from a variety of backgrounds with unique needs and life experiences, and all It is essential to provide quality education to all learners.” The support they need to succeed. The Parent Pathways Grant Program provides support for learners to balance academic and family responsibilities while pursuing a post-secondary education pathway. ”
What kind of support do students looking for when they are raising children?
At a recent New America event focused on student parenting and higher education policy, two speakers included former parenting student and author Stephanie Rand; maid and classand author Nicole Lynn Lewis pregnant girl The founder of Generation Hope, a nonprofit organization that helps parents of students succeed in college, spoke about the support policymakers should provide to make it easier for parents of current students to succeed in college.
When discussing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a public program designed to provide food to people who struggle to eat enough, Rand spoke about the contradictions that exist in public benefit programs. Ta. “We were told, 'You're not working enough to put on a table,'” Rand said, adding that college students often have to work a certain number of hours to be considered eligible for SNAP. emphasized the problem.
Some parents are told that getting an education is the way out of poverty, but they feel like they aren't getting the support they need to succeed. At the same New America event, Isis Patterson, a current parenting student, said, “They lied to me. They told me that education was the key to being 'out.'” But somehow I find myself in the same kitchen that my mother was in when I was 13 years old. ” IIS's complaints echo findings from a New America study about how well states support older and parenting students, and they found that they found it difficult for parents to complete their degrees. and felt there was limited support to improve their financial situation.
While the efforts states are making to support students with parents should be applauded, more needs to be done to help students succeed in college. And the reality is that universities face major enrollment challenges over the next decade. Institutions that have succeeded in developing friendlier and more supportive attitudes towards older students and those with children are more likely to experience enrollment challenges than schools that are unable to change or improve the support they provide to their students. more likely to be overcome.
