A Powerful Catalytic New Initiative for Students Who Are Parents

November 1, 2018 | Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents

What does it take for a postsecondary student – who happens to be raising a child – to earn a credential that will lead to a career and economic mobility in today’s economy? Quite a lot, as it turns out: finding quality child care that is also affordable, pulling together resources to pay high tuition bills, navigating inflexible schedules at both school and work.

And when one out of every four college students – 5 million individuals – is parent to a young child, there is much at stake. We know that parents who complete a college degree can double their incomes, and that in 2018, nine of 10 jobs went to people with a college degree.  Furthermore, just a $3,000 increase in income for parents with young children can translate to a 17 percent increase in their children’s future earnings as well as immediate family economic stability, translating into critical issues like a family’s ability to avoid a housing eviction when something goes wrong.

Investing in student parents is an extremely underutilized lever in building our economy and workforce. The traditional definition of postsecondary student is outdated. Demographics and data reflect a far richer, more diverse and complex reality. Our systems and structures need to catch up. It is time to reimagine how our policies and institutions can open postsecondary pathways for parents – ensuring an outsize impact on economic security for their families and for generations to come.

Ascend is proud to announce the Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents Initiative, a new partnership with Omidyar Network to tackle this challenge by raising awareness of and sharing recommendations to better support students who are parents. The initiative is guided by our comprehensive two-generation (2Gen) approach that focuses on children and their parents together to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

Listening to parents, elevating their voices, and lifting up their dreams for their children and family is core to Ascend’s philosophy, and we are thrilled to welcome a group of Parent Advisors to the initiative – all leaders in their own right – to share their expert insights into the lives of student parents that will inform a suite of actionable recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, and philanthropists in the U.S.

Today we release the first set of practical recommendations on how postsecondary institutions and policymakers may better engage student parents and remove barriers to their postsecondary degrees. These two briefs are the first of a suite of materials to be published through early 2019 that elevate a set of parent-informed recommendations for student parents’ success.

Student parents have a unique trait as compared to their childless peers: major constraints on time and mental health well-being. A recent study published in the Journal of Higher Education calls this phenomenon “time poverty.” Per the study, students raising preschool-age children had about 10 hours per day to dedicate to academics, sleeping, eating and leisure activities, compared to the 21 hours available for childless students. Tackling these challenges also require contextual lenses that take into account persistent gender inequalities and racial disparities in our society: 71% of all student parents are women, and although black students represent approximately 15% of the total undergraduate student population, just over 37% of all single student parents are black.

Fortunately, we have some strong models and case studies that can serve as blueprints for better supporting student parents. For example, Central New Mexico Community College’s CNM Connect, led by Ascend Fellow Dr. Kathie Winograd, is a student resource initiative that provides whole-family supports and benefits access, alongside academic coaching and financial aid assistance to make it easier for students to access the services and resources that fit their individual circumstances. Dr. Winograd is a leader in supporting parents in the higher education system: “With 35 percent of our students being parents, we’ve also been working to expand our support of students with parental responsibilities. We’ve begun creating safe and educational spaces for children to spend time in areas where their parents study or meet with advisors.”

The work of educational institutions is even more powerful when they build strong collaborations to fill gaps in services by partnering with other organizations that specialize in strengthening families. For example, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and the Technical College Systems of Georgia, in continuation of their Parents and Children Thriving Together (PACTT) efforts, recently announced a grant opportunity: the Two-Generation Innovation Grant (2018) that will help institutions pilot or expand community initiatives that connect the early learning, postsecondary, and workforce systems at the local level to deliver benefits to the two generations within a family unit – children and their parents. These strategies will impact both children’s ability to access high-quality early learning and their parents’ ability to obtain jobs that provide family-supporting wages, fostering greater economic security.

There are many opportunities for federal and state policymakers to leverage resources already available to more explicitly support postsecondary institutions’ ability to better serve students who are parents and their families. Policymakers can incentivize partnerships, integrate language that names students who are parents as special or target populations, facilitate financial aid processes that work for the needs of families, and leverage recent research and insights. For example, the Washington Center for Budget and Policy has found 45 credits to be a magic number: that parents on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) who earned 45 credits were more likely to be stably employed, had higher annual earnings, and spent fewer months on TANF.

America wants student parents to succeed: there is substantial public support for investing in students who are parents. According to a 2016 exit survey conducted by Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group, three-quarters of voters support creating partnerships to provide services to low-income students who have young children and year-round access to financial aid plans for certificate programs, including majorities across party lines.

The synergy of the committed stakeholders, public support, plethora of research, and deep knowledge available to catalyze for student parents is powerful. We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Omidyar Network to raise awareness of student parents and provide concrete, actionable solutions to better support this critical population.

Please read the first two reports for policymakers and practitioners to learn more about our initial recommendations, and stay tuned for more insights, particularly to address student parents’ mental health, and a model and framework for philanthropists and postsecondary leaders in the coming months.

Related Posts

In an Inside Higher Ed article, David Croom and Generation Hope provide important perspective into why the student parent population is important for higher education institutions to prioritize.
Media MentionsMay 9, 2023
Photo of student parent Waukecha Wilkerson with her family at her graduation ceremony.
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesMay 3, 2023
Photo of Isis Patterson and her family
Growing up, Isis Patterson and her family were constantly operating in survival mode. School offered her the safety and security she lacked at home, so she took a liking to it. When she found out she was pregnant at 15, she kept herself immersed in her schoolwork, graduated with honors, and received a full-ride scholarship …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 10: Meet Isis Patterson Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 25, 2023
1 in 5 Student Parent Podcast
As a child of immigrants, Lourdes saw the efforts her hard-working parents made to give her a memorable childhood, and how they always stressed the importance of education. Then, in high school, Lourdes became pregnant and the birth of her daughter inspired her aspirations for higher education, leading her to a career in nursing. As …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 9: Meet Lourdes Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 17, 2023
Photo of Nicole Alkire Grady with her family in a park.
Nicole Alkire always excelled in athletics and academics at Standing Rock High School in North Dakota. But being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse meant Nicole turned to dating, and eventually alcohol, to cope with the trauma. In high school, she became a mother and worked hard to graduate – leaning on the support of …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 8: Meet Nicole Alkire Grady Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsApril 4, 2023
Photo of Generation Hope's Nicole Lynn Lewis with her five children
Today, Nicole Lynn Lewis is an accomplished author, CEO of Generation Hope, and mother of five. But she didn’t always feel a sense of stability and pride. When she arrived on campus with her three-month old daughter, she instantly felt out of place and didn’t know who to turn to for help. Her feelings of …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 7: Learn About Generation Hope Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsMarch 28, 2023
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesMarch 20, 2023
Dominique Baker and her family.
Dominique Baker married her high school sweetheart and planned to pursue a degree in social work, but her first semester in college proved to be both financially and mentally exhausting. As her family grew and Dominique took stock of the things she wanted for herself and her two children, she made the decision to leave …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 6: Meet Dominique Baker Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsMarch 19, 2023
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute announced that eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) have joined its Black and Native Family Futures Fund.
Press ReleasesDecember 13, 2022
Photo of Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin.
Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin was taught to always take care of those around her, but didn’t always see education as a way of doing so After dropping out of school and later finding herself incarcerated and pregnant, Yolanda became determined to change the course of her life. Once she was released, Yolanda focused on establishing a relationship …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 5: Meet Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
Photo of Drayton Jackson and his family.
Drayton Jackson experienced homelessness for almost 20 years. Today, Drayton utilizes his lived experience to advocate for others in a similar position—but it wasn’t always easy adjusting to having a seat at the table. Drayton, now the father of eight, is setting boundaries and goals for himself to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Along with …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 4: Catching up with Drayton Jackson Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
1 in 5 Student Parent Podcast
Soren’s interest in higher education has always been rooted in an interest in the environment, even from childhood. As an adult, after struggling with their own mental health, Soren became interested in psychology, and pursued jobs in the medical field, but was soon discouraged by the for-profit medical system. Soren went through challenging transitions in …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 3: Meet Soren Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
Photo of Ignacio Angel and his family.
Ignacio Angel has decided to define for himself what success looks like as a college student and father of four. The for-profit trade school he went to, which was later investigated for preying on vulnerable students, never delivered on promises of a job, and landed him in debt. With Lilly’s help, he found a support …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 2: Meet Ignacio Angel Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
Photo of Daria Willis and her family.
Dr. Daria Willis brings her extensive education and her own experience as a student parent to her role as president of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. Daria had her daughter, Lyric, during her first year in college. She shares how keenly she felt the social stigma of being a single parent. It took a …

‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 1: Meet Daria Willis Read More »

Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsDecember 1, 2022
Today, Ascend at the Aspen Institute (Ascend) released the second season of “1 in 5,” its highly rated podcast that explores the multifaceted lives of the one in five college students raising children.
Press ReleasesDecember 1, 2022