With summer winding down and new school year routines kicking in, counselors across the country have begun their procedures for advising students' on their postsecondary plans. September being National Student Parent Month,
it’s time to ask: how have you incorporated pregnant and parenting students’ needs into your year-round strategies?
According to the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, “nearly four million US undergraduate students - or 22% - are raising children
while attending a postsecondary education program.” 51% of student parents are people of color, with 33% of
Black students, 29% of Native American students, and 21% of Latino/a students respectively.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, “prohibits discrimination
based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Examples of the types of discrimination that are covered under Title IX include sexual harassment; the failure to provide equal athletic opportunity; sex-based
discrimination in a school’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses and programs; and discrimination based on pregnancy. A fuller list of Title IX issues OCR addresses appears here.”
The law also goes beyond pregnancy to give parenting students equal protections. Equipping your student parents with the facts about their rights on college
campuses will help them advocate for themselves as they matriculate. The law requires institutions to make reasonable accommodations, from excusing absences for doctor’s appointments, providing sufficient space and time for lactation, as well as flexibility
with assignment due dates.
As your students began gearing up for application season, here are five things for them to consider:
Housing: Having children is typically not compatible with traditional dorm life, and while some student parents have family nearby to house and care for their child, not every student has this option. Finding resources to help students
secure off campus or family housing will help eliminate barriers to successful matriculation. Wellesley Centers for Women provides a database of colleges and universities that offer family
housing nationwide. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many institutions have eliminated or limited their offerings, but the database still provides a starting point for student parent housing research.
Childcare: Some public universities, like Florida A&M University and Michigan State University, have on
campus childcare services for students. Both institutions were awarded Child Care Access Means Parents in School grants (CCAMPIS) through federal funding provided by the US Department of Education. A full list of 2022-23 grant winners can be found
here. As part of accepting the award, these institutions have each made a commitment to, “support the participation of low-income student parents in postsecondary education by providing campus-based childcare services.” For students looking at institutions outside this list, Childcare.gov provides a state-by-state guide to finding childcare resources including information on licensed care providers, background checks and inspection reports.
Scholarships: Student parents have more expenses than the average student, so securing funding for school that doesn’t have to be paid back means more money can go toward childcare essentials. The Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Award is a maximum $16,000 scholarship that can be used for educational and non-educational expenses alike. The Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Support Scholarship awards
up to $5,000 to mothers pursuing their education.
Academic supports: Once on campus, student parents will need to advocate for themselves early and often, not only for things like scholarships and housing but also in class. While some students may be apprehensive about disclosing
their parenting status to professors, giving faculty the information they need to help students excel is crucial. The Title XI office can be a resource in students’ toolbox to navigate conversations with any professors who may feel intimidating.
California passed a law requiring all California institutions to give student parents priority course registration and streamline student
parent resources into one convenient place on the school’s website. The University of California - Los Angeles’ student parent web site includes information for applying for CCAMPIS funds and
their student parent support group, Bruin Parenting Scholars.
Campus supports: Students should be researching the Title IX office of any prospective school, and any other campus supports for student parents. Kennesaw State University hosts their Students Who Parents Support Group, which builds community between the student parents on campus and provides tools for students to learn time management, self-care, budgeting and positive parenting techniques.
Self-advocacy is not a talent but a skill; it is the key to your student accessing these supports. Our role is to strike the balance between empowering students to seek services on their own and being a coach in their corner. For student parents, the
stakes are higher; self-sufficiency means not only success for one student, but success for the entire family.
Email to a Friend