Student Parent Success Initiative
Meeting the demands of an evolving economy requires a skilled workforce that is adequately prepared to fill in-demand jobs. Earning a postsecondary credential is, therefore, more important than ever for families to achieve economic security and mobility. For the roughly four million college students who are parents of children under 18—70 percent of whom are mothers—earning a degree or certificate is a pathway to a better life for themselves and their families. These student parents, however, are often overlooked on college campuses and in the broader system of higher education, and lack access to the supports, such as affordable, high-quality child care, that they need to successfully graduate.
IWPR’s Student Parent Success Initiative conducts research and policy analysis, provides technical expertise and assistance, and communicates its research and builds partnerships to lift up the voices of students with children and increase equity in higher education for student parents and other underserved student populations.
Building Family-Friendly Campuses: Strategies to Promote College Success Among Student Parents
For parents, receiving a college degree is one of the best investments they can make to improve the financial security, social mobility, and overall well-being of their family.
College Students with Children: National and Regional Profiles
This report provides a national and regional profile of undergraduate college students who are raising dependent children.
Student Parents’ Access to Campus Child Care Continued to Decline in 2015
Given the importance of higher education to a family’s economic security and their children’s future success, ensuring that student parents have access to affordable, quality care must be a priority for educational institutions, higher education advocates, and policymakers.
Supporting Student Parent Success in Community Colleges
Power Point presentation from Women's Funding Network Conference workshop "Powerful Partnerships: Foundations and Community Colleges".
Research & Policy Update: Student Parents & Access to Child Care at Community Colleges
Power Point presentation from Student Parent Support Symposium session on "Current Student Parent Research & Policy Efforts"
