Facing the Baby Blues? Serving Student Parents On Campus. By Heather S. Gasser & Ray F. Gasser

Transcription

1 Facing the Baby Blues? Serving Student Parents On Campus By Heather S. Gasser & Ray F. Gasser With significant attention and programs dedicated for parents of traditional-age students on our campuses (including parents associations, newsletters, parent s weekend), little has been done to make our traditional, 4-year institutions more friendly to students who are parents themselves. Furthermore, most colleges and universities do not collect data about a student s parental status (unless they apply for financial aid) so it is often difficult for student affairs practitioners to assess the needs of student parents or identify those who might be in need of specific services (i.e. on-campus childcare, student networking with other student parents, etc). This article gives credence to the need for campuses to address student parents through student services by demonstrating that a significant population of student parents pursuing higher education does indeed exist. Further, we will show that the student parent population face barriers to higher education unknown to their childless counterparts and are likely at risk of not completing their degrees. We will identify some specific areas that contribute to student-parent success as well as provide easy tips for administrators seeking to make their campuses more childfriendly. Community colleges have led the way in providing services for student parents, and daycare is one of the most common services offered by two-year institutions (Community College Week, 1999). However, large research universities seeking to meet the needs of the majority of their students have, for the most part, failed to grasp the challenges students with dependent children face on campus. More than fifteen years ago, Chater and Hatch wrote, Colleges and universities must become aware of the growing

2 number of students who are mothers, considering programs and policies enabling them to combine and cope with the demands of academics, home, and work. Needs of these students include improved programs, schedules, child care, financial aid, housing, and support systems (1991, pg 33). Lack of child care on campus is often cited in the academic literature as a barrier specifically for female non-traditional students (Gittell, 1996; Institute for Women s Policy Research, 1998). And while post-secondary education may be one of the most promising paths out of poverty for single mothers currently dependent on social services, the lack of child care services on many campuses keeps these women from exploring this option. While increasingly prevalent on many college campuses, undergraduate student parents may be one of the most overlooked populations when it comes to services. However, several campuses have began to realize how policies can assist in recruiting graduate students and new faculty. On research campuses that attract Masters and Doctoral students who may already have dependent children upon enrolling, student affairs practitioners are beginning to recognize the need to expand services particularly for graduate students. Recently, Princeton University has increased its package of family-friendly benefits intended to increase female graduate student enrollment and persistence (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007). Some of the benefits include offering maternity leave from graduate teaching and research assistantships, on campus family housing, and family health insurance policies. With the increased attention paid toward female graduate students with children, all student parents on campus are likely to benefit by increased awareness of the challenges they face on a daily basis. And, student parents voices are growing louder as well. Whether through student advocacy groups or representation on college and university committees, or through their

3 choices to not attend campuses that are not child friendly, undergraduate and graduate student parents needs are increasingly heard by administrators at all levels. In order to grasp the scope of the issue, it is crucial for each campus to examine its student demographics and specific needs. Yet, some national data does exist that demonstrates how many student parents are attending our institutions and what groups are more likely to require increased services. According to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (2004), twenty-five percent of undergraduates and 31.5 percent of graduate students who applied for federal financial aid in had at least one dependent child. Furthermore, among those students with children, 48.4 percent of undergraduates and 41.9 percent of graduate student parents have a child under five years of age (NPSAS, 2004). This reality has great implications for campuses without child care facilities as parents with young children who are not yet old enough for school would have the highest need for long term daycare services. Often times undergraduate students with dependents are firstgeneration college students making it all the more difficult to succeed at college without institutional strategies in place for student parents. Having to overcome even greater challenges are single parents who increased from 10 percent in to 13.3 percent in (U.S Department of Education, 2003). As expected, female students were more likely than men to be single parents by a margin of 16 percent versus 9 percent (NPSAS, 2004). With many levels of support lacking for all sub-groups of student parents, the challenges are even more difficult to overcome when arriving at a campus that provides little support for student parents. The challenge is further magnified for students of color. While Caucasian and Asian students are significantly less likely to have a dependent while in school than their

4 overall populations, African-American and Hispanic students have a much higher probability versus their populations to have a dependent when compared against all other ethnicities. This picture gets worse when looking whether or not they are single parents. Blacks and Hispanics are again more likely to be single parents comparatively versus all other races while Caucasians and Asians are significantly less likely to be raising children with only one parent present. Figure 1 illustrates this problem (NPSAS, 2004). The most significant way to combat these inherent disadvantages for student parents is the provision of on-campus child care. Research has shown that graduation rates are significantly higher for student parents when campus child care is provided, and further, students are more likely to remain in school, graduate in fewer years, and earn higher grades (Kappner, 2002). However, only 2,500 campus child care centers exist throughout the nation s 4,000 plus institutions of higher education (Boressof, 2002). Further, those institutions that offer on-campus child care, oftentimes have more that one center on their campus. Therefore there are actually a much smaller proportion of colleges and universities that actually provide child care than the number suggests. In 1998, Congress passed the Campus Childcare Access Means Parents In School or CCAMPIS Amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965, which is designed to assist campuses in providing needed child care facilities or other supports, particularly for low-income students enrolled in postsecondary education. The need for on-campus childcare has not escaped the attention of lawmakers in Washington. One of the co-sponsors of the Campus Child Care Bill (CCAMPIS), Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) stated: The typical college student is no longer an 18-year-old high school graduate. Increasingly, nontraditional students--older, with children and various job and life experiences--are filling the ranks of college classes. These students recognize the importance of college to future success. But

5 these students face new barriers unheard of in earlier times. Many are parents and must provide for their children while in school. Campus-based child care is a vital necessity for parents attending college. (available: Despite the increased federal dollars available for campuses to build and support child care centers, for many campuses, the provision of on-campus child care may not be immediately feasible, at least in the short-term. Given political realities, decreasing budgets, and other institutional priorities, how can campuses without an existing oncampus facility support its student parents? We have identified ten initiatives/factors that are mostly easy to implement, yet will contribute to a more child-friendly campus climate for student parents. 10. Install diaper changing tables (in both mens and womens ) restrooms in major public buildings on campus. 9. Make sure your dining center or campus eateries have highchairs and booster seats available. 8. Provide safe, sanitary (NOT in a bathroom), and private places for women to breastfeed and/or pump. Outfit these lactation or pumping rooms with hospital-grade breast pumps (sterile attachments can be purchased separately by each student), comfortable chairs, and access to sinks. 7. Set up and maintain child-friendly play areas in public spaces where students study or use computers, or are likely to be found with children. 6. Through campus awareness campaigns, promote a culture on campus that appreciates the presence of children. 5. Develop a resource website for student parents on activities to do on campus with kids. 4. Provide a sick-child emergency back-up program so students don t have to miss class to stay home with a sick child. 3. Advocate for maternity leave for undergraduate and graduate student parents. 2. Apply for a CCAMPIS Grant ( and use the funds to develop child care subsidy programs or on-campus child care facilities. 1. What was most helpful to student parents*? Understanding Faculty. * According to a recent study of student parents at the University of Arizona (2006).

6 On top of these relatively simple gestures of support for student parents, another important initiative is to simply help student parents develop a campus support system or network among student parents on campus. This can take the form of a student organization, a support group, or even a play group. At the University of Arizona, what started out as a supportive student club known as the BabyCats, became a much more useful resource for both students, faculty and staff. With a lack of on-campus child care at Arizona, an off-shoot club of BabyCatSitters developed to fill this need. UA students (typically without children) are first interviewed by BabyCats club representatives and then their class schedules/babysitting availability is posted on a listserv for student parents to access. Often these brief (1-2 hours/day) babysitting jobs occur on campus while the parent is attending a class or study group. Student parents also utilize the list to find last-minute sitters, and then negotiate a rate of pay, pick-up and drop off times, and location. This creative solution, while it does not make up for a lack of universityprovided daycare, has proven to be indispensable for student parents. In addition to identifying and implementing these little things that can make a big difference on your campus, it might also be helpful to understand the various factors that contribute to an individual s ability to successfully balance parenthood and higher education. In order to advocate for any group, it is vital that the individual educate him/herself on the larger issues facing a population as well as talk directly with those for whom one wishes to advocate. Understanding faculty and staff were listed as one of the most frequent and important supports provided on campus in a recent study of student parents conducted at the University of Arizona (2006). The Student Parent Success Model (Gasser, H., Gasser, R., & Vito, 2007) is not scientific, but rather is based on our extensive experiences in advising student parents,

7 working directly with commuters and non-traditional students, and as parents ourselves. While this model may not apply to all student parents or in all situations, it does show the complexity of factors that can contribute to their success. And, it is important to note that just as there isn t one easy solution to the barriers commuters or other non-traditional students face, one solution will not alleviate all of the barriers student parents face. Child Care Services Financial Support Understanding/ Supportive Faculty Child- Friendly Campus Climate Student Parent Succes s Outside Support Systems Easy Access to Resource s Figure 2: Student Parent Success Model While the first solution to meeting the needs of student parents on campus is often providing on-campus child care facilities, clearly, there are many things that a campus can do to contribute to a child-friendly campus climate and ultimately to student parent s success at our institutions of higher education. For all commuter students, but particularly

8 for non-traditional students with children, the barriers to attending our institutions of higher education are more significant than their residential or childless peers. Traditional four-year colleges and universities should look past the programs provided for parents of students and consider the needs of their students who are parents themselves. Removing some of the barriers facing student parents as they work toward completing their degree will have lasting, positive implications for not only the students, but for their children as well. References Boressoff, T. (2002, Winter). CCAMPIS Update: New grants Bush Cuts Reauthorization. Campus Children s Center News, 18 (1,4). Chater, S., and Hatch, A. (1991, Winter). Student, worker, mom on campus, in need. Educational Record Cominole, M., Siegel, P., Dudley, K., Roe, D., & Gilligan, T. (2004). National postsecondary student aid study. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from Gasser, H., Gasser, R., Vito, M. (2007). Baby Blues: Our responsibility for serving student parents. Presentation given at the Joint Meeting for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the National Association of Student Personnal Administrators (NASPA). Kappner, A.S. (2002). Across the education continuum: Child care on the college campus. Cedar Fall, IA: National Coalition for Campus Children's Centers. University of Arizona. (2006). Student parent needs assessment and program evaluation study. FMR Associates, Tucson, AZ. U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics (2002). Profile of undergraduates in U.S. postsecondary institutions: (NCES Publication No ). Washington, DC: Author. National Coalition for Campus Children s Centers. Campus Child Care Bill (Child Care Access Means Parents in School Act, S and H.R. 3926) Fact sheet in support of S.115. Retrieved May 1, 2008 from