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TODAY'S STUDENTS ARE PARENTING STUDENTS.
Nearly 1 in 5 undergraduate students is also a parent, and most are women and students
of color. The cracks in today's higher ed system jeopardize their success.
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL STUDENT PARENT MONTH!
TODAY'S STUDENTS INCLUDE A DIVERSE GROUP
OF STUDENT PARENTS.
Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students are most likely to be parents, and Black women are more likely than women from any other background to be parenting as single parents while in college.
STUDENT PARENTS EXCEL ACADEMICALLY
Student parents
than their peers without dependents, attaining higher GPAs when provided with the right supports, but are twice as likely to drop out of school.
BUT OUR CURRENT HIGHER ED SYSTEM IS NOT BUILT TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT THEM.
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Student parents juggle many responsibilities on top of their own education, including work and parenting.
Lack of access to affordable child care, campus housing requirements, financial barriers, and the feeling that they don’t belong stand in
their way.
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As a result, nearly 12 million parents are not currently enrolled but have some college credits and no degree.
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IT'S TIME FOR CHANGE.
Student parents belong in higher ed. We must create a system that intentionally
includes and supports student parents. Here’s how policy must change:
1
Align existing programs to better support student parents.
2
Increase funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program to $500,000,000 in FY2025.
3
Provide emergency aid directly to students to cover their basic needs insecurities and enable them to complete their education.
4
Appropriate $1 billion to establish an Emergency Higher Education Connectivity fund which would aid college and university students at minority serving institutions.
5
Improve upon federal data systems by reporting data on students’ parental status.
6
Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) to student parents who go to school less than full time and make it fully refundable.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Check out these resources to learn more about student parents, their needs, and how policy change can help.
Questions?
Contact: info@higherlearningadvocates.org
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