Resource Roundup: Supporting Student Parents
This resource roundup is devoted to helping readers understand how to better support student parents. It introduces three publications — all developed with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
“Young parents who are raising children while seeking an education face unique challenges on and off campus,” says Quanic Fullard, a senior associate with the Casey Foundation.“These publications explore the needs of students who are parenting — a group that is often overlooked in policy discussions around postsecondary education.”
Parenting While in College: Racial Disparities in Basic Needs Insecurity During the Pandemic
By the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice
This brief shares lessons from a nationwide survey of over 32,500 college students who are also parents. It found that:
- student parents who are Black, Asian or Latino experience extremely high rates of insecurity in their basic needs, which has immediate harmful effects on their young children;
- nearly all single Black and Latino students with young children experience food insecurity, housing insecurity or homelessness; and
- Black fathers who are students are not getting adequate campus support for their basic needs.
Supporting Student Parent Recovery Through State Policy Lessons From Georgia, Texas and Washington State
By the Institute for Women’s Policy Research
This brief, which draws from efforts in Georgia, Texas and Washington, shares how states can better support student parents who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores how these parents can benefit when their needs and experiences are considered in state-level policy and decision making.
Connecting Young Student Parents With Navigation Services
By Child Trends
This brief — which draws on the experiences of three communities within the Expanding Opportunities for Young Families initiative — examines the challenges facing student parents who are pursuing a high-school education. It introduces student support services as a promising strategy for connecting student parents with the guidance necessary to advocate for themselves while interacting with complex systems, such as child care or financial assistance programs.
