January 31, 2022
Student Parent Success
By Elliot Felix
Research tells us that when a college student doesn’t graduate, it’s usually not because they aren’t smart enough or motivated enough. More often than not, there are other factors that contribute to their decision to drop out or put their college education on hold.
Finances are one reason students may not continue their education. In fact, a recent national survey found that 42% of students cite finances as why they dropped out. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimates that 22% of all undergraduate students in the US are parents — which makes it vitally important that colleges are positioned to meet the needs of this often-marginalized group. Students with children to care for may be vulnerable financially, and it can be difficult to find a college or university that caters to the unique set of needs of this group.
In my new book How to Get the Most Out of College, I dive into the hows and whys of shaping a college experience to fit students’ needs and interests, particularly the needs of today’s post-traditional student population. To help guide student parents, I spoke with Dr. Chaunté White, Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, who shed light on how parenting students can make the most of their college experience.
“Student parents are motivated and highly capable, but the higher education system was not developed with them in mind… with the right supports they can overcome barriers and find success… They need to know to that it is important to ask for help and campus leaders need to do more to identify their needs, provide appropriate resources, and work to eliminate the barriers altogether.” – Dr. Chaunté White
What Colleges and Universities Can Do to Meet the Needs of Student Parents
Colleges and universities can focus on the needs of student parents instead of a mythical “traditional” student who’s 18-24, financially-dependent on their parents or guardians, studying full-time, not working, and living on or right near campus. They can offer courses and support outside of the typical business hours, such as during weekends or late at night. They can offer on-campus childcare options which are often subsidized and can be more convenient. They can provide quality on-campus family housing options with year-round leases, play spaces, and in-unit laundry. They can offer a Student Parent Center which provides a place for students with children to find resources and community. For example, Central Piedmont Community College’s Family Resource Center serves student parents by providing the resources that may be needed to have a successful college experience.
What Student Parents Can Do to Take Advantage of What Colleges and Universities Offer
Based on our research and conversations with experts, here are five tips that colleges and universities can recommend to their student parents to be successful:
1. Make use of the Student Parent Center or similar department on their campus to find others facing the same obstacles, as well as resources to help tackle these issues. A student parent resource center or help center is uniquely suited to help student parents simply because that’s the goal of the location or group. Center staff are often well-versed in the needs of parents with children, and other students tackling the same concerns will be all around you. Within a Student Parent Center, advice can be focused on your identity as a parent AND a student, and those identities will probably be balanced more fairly than they would in other departments on campus. “I thought that parenthood had stopped me from accomplishing my own dreams and that the struggles of being a single mother would restrict what I was able to do, but UMSL made it possible for me,” explains one student from the University of Missouri, St. Louis who made ample use of their on-campus Child Development Center.
2. Stay up to date on what resources are available to support student parents, regardless of their school. The visibility of marginalized student groups, including student parents, is increasing. Even for students at schools that aren’t equipped with a resource center, there are resources available to parent students on a national level. The Wellesley Centers for Women and Higher Learning Advocates are just two of many such groups working to improve student experience and access to education for marginalized groups.
3. Ask for help and be aware of social safety net programs that their school may provide. There are some obstacles that are not unique to student parents, but are often experienced by this group. If you’re facing financial difficulties leading to a lack of food, affordable housing, or transportation, talk to your student parent center or an advisor who can help you connect with campus food pantries, the federal CCDF program to subsidize child care costs, or scholarships catered to students with children.
4. Try to get plugged into support groups with other student parents locally. Whether through the Student Parent Help Center or an online forum, students with children can gain a lot from forming bonds with others like them. The Student Parent Help Center at the University of Minnesota, for example, says that students who attend activities within their center (which offers weekly peer support groups and classes) were significantly more likely to graduate than those that did not.
5. Practice challenging policies and processes that were designed without considering students like them. As one student parent explained: “Largely, student parents exist in an education ecosystem that was not designed with our needs in mind. It’s an ecosystem that often overlooks us or leaves us behind, into which we must find ways to fit ourselves, rather than the system providing the flexibility and accommodations we need.” This is what makes it so vital that student parents learn to advocate for themselves when the time comes. These little moments of advocacy — like asking for extra time to complete an at-home exam so you can stop to breastfeed halfway through or asking for additional office hours so you can pick your child up from school — work together to make the college experience more welcoming to student parents as administrators, staff, and faculty amend existing rules to make room for students outside the norm.
It’s not always easy for student parents to make their voices heard and have their needs met, but it will be worth it. The good news is that students with children aren’t alone in their struggles, and it’s key for colleges and universities to create opportunities for student parents to plug into groups of peers and find resources meant to make life easier and ensure student success. With the support of the college or university, it is possible to have a positive and successful college experience while raising kids.
For additional ways to improve your student experience, learn about other common student experience challenges and brightspot’s proven strategies for addressing them based on our conversations with 50+ colleges and universities.