STUDENTS WHO ARE ALSO PARENTS: AWARENESS AND SUPPORT ON CAMPUS

Sabrina C. Gregersen, Adam Brazil, and Meghan Ecker-Lyster

Center for Educational Opportunity Programs, University of Kansas

Approximately 1 in 5 undergraduate college students attending a postsecondary institution in the United States are also parents (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019). These student-parents share several common characteristics:

» 70% of them are mothers (Radwin et al., 2018);

» 42% are enrolled at a community college (Radwin et al., 2018); and

» as a group, they are more likely to be enrolled on a part-time basis (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019).

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (2019) says only about half (52%) of student-parents are likely to complete a degree program.

Student-parents often arrive on campus with a unique set of needs in spite of sharing similar goals with peers who are not parents. Of the nearly 3.8 million students who are raising children while also attending college, more than half are also raising children under the age of 6 (Radwin et al., 2018). The cost of raising a child puts financial pressure on student-parents, and roughly 45% report that they have to work a full-time job while simultaneously attending college to support their family (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019). As a result of financial commitments and family responsibilities, student-parents are more likely to encounter time constraints and other significant challenges when compared to their non-parenting peers.

The path to earning a college degree is difficult under the best circumstances; factor in balancing a job, family life, parenthood, and coursework, and this challenge can become even more daunting. The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to support low-income student-parents by providing financial assistance, educational workshops, and childcare for participants enrolled in higher education. The grant is awarded to postsecondary institutions who work in partnership with an on-campus or community childcare facility. These grants focus on the two biggest obstacles identified by student-parents: financial assistance and affordable childcare. The grants also provide individual support to each recipient through intensive advising meetings with CCAMPIS staff to identify and address their academic and personal needs.

Supporting student parents is one of the best ways that we can help shape more prosperous and liberatory futures.

— Larissa M. Mercado-López, Associate Professor of Women’s Students, California State University

An assessment of a CCAMPIS program at the University of Kansas identified a number of program strengths that support student-parents; the findings suggested that CCAMPIS relieved financial stress for student-parents, which allowed them more time to concentrate on their studies and spend with their children. The following best practices are taken from the assessment and are aligned with emergent literature on how faculty and staff at institutions that do not have CCAMPIS-like funds can still support studentparents.

Creating Enhanced Opportunities for Student-Parents

Student-parents cite a number of supports that help them on their education journeys (e.g., financial assistance, childcare, peer and faculty support, facilities accommodations on campus). In one study, student-parents listed financial assistance and childcare as the most frequently used and valued supports (Theisen et al., 2018).

Student-parents appreciate faculty who are aware of the unique challenges that they face (Theisen et al., 2018). Faculty and staff can support student-parents by understanding their needs (even those that are not directly served in the classroom) and the barriers to educational opportunities at their institutions (Springer et al., 2009). Some of the unique challenges student-parents face may include:

» access to affordable, quality daycare even if the campus has a childcare center;

» class absences to care for sick children or due to daycare/school closures;

» difficulty participating in evening classes, extracurricular events, campus events, or group projects outside of class time because childcare facilities often operate during normal business hours;

» limited flexibility to respond to last-minute schedule changes;» difficulty responding to assignments with short deadlines;

» increased social isolation as a result of living off campus when more traditional college peers live on campus; and

» lack of parental leave policies for student workers (including graduate students).

Faculty and staff can promote the resources and options available for student-parents by:

» Exposing students to resources on campus and in the community. For example, financial resources that student-parents find helpful include (a) scholarships for childcare; (b) general scholarships and grants for education; (c) affordable childcare and healthcare for dependents; (d) assistantships for graduate students; (e) paid parental leave for graduate students; and (f) special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other government supports (Davies, 2018; Theisen et al., 2018).

» Highlighting existing campus accommodations that benefit studentparents. For example, consider the need for lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers. Faculty should understand that a breastfeeding mother might need space and time during classes to pump, especially in lectures that run long.

» Learning the location of changing tables in restrooms, family housing close to campus, and family-friendly campus spaces.

» Adding links for student-parent resources to their syllabi.

» Providing flexibility and support on course assignments and connecting student-parents to advising that takes into consideration their unique circumstances. For example, assignment extensions can be awarded for new student-parents (including those who adopt). At the institutional level, student-parents could be given preference for course scheduling so they can find courses that work with their daycare options.

» Improving the sense of belonging for student-parents by incorporating activities designed to increase classroom engagement, improve knowledge integration, and shared social experiences for all students including active-learning techniques, in-class group activities, and flipped classroom designs (Brewer & Movahedazarhouligh, 2018; Park & Choi, 2014).

Student-parents are highly motivated to complete their studies and are dedicated to their work (Sallee, 2015); however, understanding their unique situations will help faculty and staff connect with student-parents, provide them a sense of belonging, and help them achieve their academic goals.

References

Brewer, R., & Movahedazarhouligh, S. (2018). Successful stories and conflicts: A literature review on the effectiveness of flipped learning in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 34(4), 409-416. http://doi.org/gd2pfc

Davies, E. (2019). Diapers and doctoral programs: Exploring the experiences of first-time parents in graduate programs [Doctoral dissertation, Williams James College]. ProQuest. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/13420395.html?FMT=AI

Park, E. L., & Choi, B. K. (2014). Transformation of classroom spaces: Traditional versus active learning classroom in colleges. Higher Education, 68, 749-771. http://doi.org/f6tv65

Radwin, D., Conzelmann, J. G., Nunnery, A., Lacy, T. A., Wu, J., Lew, S., Wine, J., & Siegel, P. (2018). 2015-2016 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16): Student Financial Aid Estimates for 2015-16 (NCES 2018-466). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018466

Sallee, M. W. (2015). Adding academics to the work/family puzzle: Graduate student parents in higher education and student affairs. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 52(4), 401- 413. http://doi.org/gctkhg

Springer, K. W., Parker, B. K., & Leviten-Reid, C. (2009). Making space for graduate student parents. Journal of Family Issues, 30(4), 435-457. http://doi.org/dqsjh7

Theisen, M. R., McGeorge, C. R., & Walsdorf, A. A. (2018). Graduate student parents’ perceptions of resources to support degree completion: Implications for family therapy programs. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 30(1), 46-70. http://doi.org/dtpt

U. S. Government Accountability Office. (2019, August). Higher Education: More information could help student parents access additional federal student aid. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-522

About The Toolbox

The Toolbox is an online professional development newsletter offering innovative, learner-centered strategies for empowering college students to achieve greater success. The newsletter is published six times a year by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina.

The online subscription is free. To register for newsletter alerts and access back issues, please visit www.sc.edu/fye/toolbox.

Publication Staff

Founding Editor: Brad Garner

Editor: Kevin F. Langston

Graphic Designer: Stephanie L. McFerrin

Assistant Director for Publications: Tracy L. Skipper