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Supporting Student Mothers on Campus

Maria Ramirez

New York University

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About the Researcher…

Current Master’s candidate in NYU– Steinhardt’s Higher Education & Student Affairs program
Specific research focus on social justice and student success for historically disadvantaged groups
Current Academic Advisor in NYU Steinhardt’s department of Applied Statistics, Social Science & Humanities

Maria Ramirez

maria.ramirez@nyu.edu

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Learning Outcomes

Understanding of the socio-political context of the feminization of poverty in the U.S.
Understanding of the various support systems required for persistence, retention and degree completion of college student mothers based on student development theory.
Appreciation of the economic and psychosocial benefits of a college degree for impoverished single mothers.
Specific strategies that may be implemented at your institutions to support this student population.

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Facts & Figures…

9.8 million families in the U.S. are headed by single mothers
52% live in extreme poverty with incomes below half of the federal poverty level – about $9,900/year for a family of 3
Over 1/3 are “food insecure”
Families headed by a single mother make up 75% of all homeless families nationwide
The poverty rate for families headed by single mothers without a college degree is 84%

For reference, in 2016, 200 percent of the federal poverty level in the United States for a family of two is $32,040, and an average cost of living in the United States for a single adult and one child is $47,324 (U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2016). In other words, single parents in poverty– the majority of whom are single mothers- cannot afford the basic requirements for survival such as food, healthcare, housing, transportation, childcare and the other necessities. In order to address this crisis, policy-makers, researchers, and advocates have identified an area of concern: the majority of single mothers are not successfully obtaining college degrees. Although millions of student parents are enrolled at institutions of higher education nationwide, those institutions are not successfully retaining and graduating most of them (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Student parents in the United States face many challenges to accessing, persisting, and completing postsecondary education, and higher education must do more to help them succeed.

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Single Mothers �& Higher Education

Photos courtesy of Misericordia University

Higher education can be an extraordinary economic benefit for impoverished single mothers. Attaining a college degree can help the women at risk in our country fulfill their potential for productivity and self-sufficiency (Patron, 2014). Earning a college degree is the most effective way for these women to achieve economic security since many single-parent students live at or below the federal poverty level, and their earning power immediately increases when a degree is attained (Huff & Thorpe, 1997). The poverty rate for families headed by single mothers who lack a high school degree is 90 percent, while the poverty rate for families headed by single mothers with a college degree is 16 percent (Huff and Thorp 1997). When single mothers graduate college and secure full time employment, they are able to provide the basic necessities for their children and offer a better life to their families. Therefore, it is important that single mothers are encouraged to pursue higher education for the benefit of themselves, their children, and society as a whole.

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The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women, promote public dialogue, and strengthen families, communities, and societies. The Institute works with policymakers, scholars, and public interest groups to design, execute, and disseminate research that illuminates economic and social policy issues affecting women and their families, and to build a network of individuals and organizations that conduct and use women oriented policy research. IWPR's work is supported by foundation grants, government grants and contracts, donations from individuals, and contributions from organizations and corporations. IWPR is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization that also works in affiliation with the women's studies and public policy and public administration programs at The George Washington University.

In September of 2017, IWPR released a Briefing paper on the status of single mothers in college. These are their key findings.

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Institutions of higher education are not doing enough to support the existing student parents on their campuses. Student parents are not being retained and graduated at the same rates as their peers, which indicates that they are not being effectively engaged and supported by the faculty and administration. In 1996, research showed that 47 percent of the single parent population of undergraduates aspired to earn a bachelor’s degree, yet by 2001 only 7 percent had earned one (National Center for Education Statistics, 2002). Yet, even though the student parent exists as an underserved student population on college campuses, over half of low-income undergraduate students are single parents (Cook & King, 2004). This indicates that perhaps low-income students in general aren’t receiving the support that they need, and student parents make up the majority of those students. This trend will continue unless institutions develop specific retention efforts toward this population (Fenster, 2004). While there has been some research done on the experiences of student parents within higher education, most of it has been done in relation to a single institution (Brooks, 2012). It is imperative that we continue to research these students more broadly in order to better support them nationwide.

Student parents simply do not have enough resources to go to school full time unless their children are cared for while they’re in class, they have funding for housing for their families, and they are properly connected with on and off-campus resources. Access and financial barriers negatively impact the student parent’s collegiate experience and could certainly influence negatively retention (Yakaboski, 2010).

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Financial Difficulties. Unsurprisingly, student parents are more likely than non-parents to say that financial difficulties are likely to result in them dropping out of school (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Single parents are also more qualified for federal aid than all other student groups, since 76.3 percent of all single student parents are low-income. (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). More than half (59 percent) of these students earn less than $10,000 a year, and 38 percent earn less than $5,000 annually (Goldrick-Rab, 2009). However, given the income profile of student parents, it is concerning that nearly half of all student parents, and nearly one-third of single student parents, do not apply for aid at all (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). This may be due to the vast number of options and complexities regarding the eligibility for federal awards that may make it difficult for student parents to take advantage of the options available to them (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Regardless, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of full-time student parents took out federal loans in 2007-2008, compared with 45.6 percent of full-time dependent students (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). This indicates that the overwhelming majority of student parents require financial aid to attend college.

Even after factoring in all forms of grant aid, which reduces the net price that students pay and unlike loans is not required to be repaid at any time, student parents still have large amounts of unmet need compared to their non-parent counterparts (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Nearly all (99.2 percent) full-time single student parents have unmet financial need after grant aid is taken into consideration, compared to 69.1 percent of dependent students (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Even after factoring in federal loans and all other forms of aid, 85 percent of full-time student parents still demonstrate some financial need (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). The average amount of unmet need is also nearly twice as high among full-time student parents as it is among dependent students who attend full-time (Huelsman & Engle, 2013). Some serious assessment and policy making should be done to address the increased cost of attendance for student parents to allow them to receive more funding.

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Child Care. Childcare is a dominant concern for all parents, especially those who work or go to school outside of traditional 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. work hours (Yakaboski, 2010). While research shows that a lack of quality, affordable, on-campus childcare prevents full engagement in college life, only half of all higher education institutions provide any form of child care on campus, and most are over-enrolled (Goldrick-Rab, 2010). Current resources meet only one tenth of the childcare demand on college campuses (Goldrick-Rab, 2010).

The federal government identified this concern and addressed it through federal regulation. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program allows states to allot funds for childcare for needy families. However, only 24 states direct TANF funds toward subsidized childcare and 33 states do not maintain a childcare wait list (Schulman & Blank, 2009). This means that over half of the states in this country do not allow single mothers to use this benefit for childcare, and most of the states that do extend childcare benefits don’t have enough resources to meet the need.

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Practical Solutions

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Institutions

Establish a task force that addresses campus policies and programs with a specific emphasis on financial stressors

Admissions, Financial Aid, Res Life, Student Life, Institutional Research

Administrators/staff should coordinate with existing off campus resources

TRIO programs, CCDF, TANF, SNAP, non-profits like Single Stop USA, iMentor, and Year Up

There are several key recommendations for college campuses that seek to support student parents. First, campuses should establish a task force that addresses campus policies and programs with a specific emphasis on financial stressors. This task force should more than likely be composed of Admissions, Financial Aid, Residence Life, Counseling, and other Student Life personnel. Next, institutions should coordinate with existing off-campus resources. Some federal higher education programs that could be utilized for undergraduate students are TRIO programs and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) as well as federal child care assistance programs, TANF, and SNAP. Access to these benefits, as well as financial and legal counseling, can be made through a partnership with a national nonprofit organization, like Single Stop USA, that helps low-income individuals and families become economically secure (Patron, 2014). Additional partnerships with great organizations such as iMentor and Year Up provide students with access to invaluable internship opportunities, career planning, peer-engagement programs, and connections to experienced mentors out in the workplace (Patron, 2014).

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Institutions Continued…

Create a separate, family-friendly orientation to extend on-campus resources

Financial Aid, Career Center, Counseling, Academic Support Services

Create new programs and services tailored for student parents

On-campus child care, nutritionist, social worker, residential programs, advocates

The third recommendation for college campuses to support student parents would be to extend existing on-campus resources including financial aid, counseling, academic support, and tutoring. While institutions like to think that they offer these services to all students, a separate family-friendly orientation would be helpful for this particular group. Next, Huff and Thorpe recommend that campuses create new services tailored for single parents including childcare, time management, healthcare, and a co-op to share essentials (2007). Child care is key; support for mothers who want to go to college does not mean much if they do not also have access to effective child care (Patron, 2014). Finally, campuses should develop advocacy services that lobby for changes to on- and off-campus policies that impact single parents (Huff and Thorpe, 1997). While change at the university level is critically important, social change in general is imperative.

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The Women with Children Program

Housing/Living-Learning Communities
Financial Aid
Orientation to campus
Child care stipends
Free course books
In-house social worker/Coordinator
Children’s enrichment
Required counseling sessions
Career development opportunities�

If Women with Children programs were implemented at the top fifty to one hundred 4-year public schools (in terms of enrollment) in the United States, the societal impact would be monumental. Even though the long-term wage gender gap remains, a college education increases women’s income immediately (Rose & Hartmann, 2008). Research shows that graduates not only gain more earning power, but generally feel better about their ability to care for their families independently (Yakabowski, 2010). According to a report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, attainment of a college degree gives mothers access to and increased opportunity for better wages, job prospects, and family healthcare (Lee, 2007). Since a college degree leads to economic stability for single moms and families, creating a program that ensures single mothers have enough security to persist through college and graduate would bring countless women and children out of poverty.

Attainment of a college degree also has generational impact, breaking the cycle of poverty in our communities. Educating the mother can affect generations by positively influencing her children and the next generation’s attainment (Goldrick-Rab, 2009). Some years ago, a study of college-going mothers from poor, working-class backgrounds demonstrated the intergenerational impact of attending college. Once a mother received her degree, the educational expectations for her children immediately went up (Patron, 2014). These college-educated women became more involved in their children’s schools and in their communities; they took their children to museums, theaters, and other forms of cultural enrichment, and the children’s school performance improved (Patron, 2014). In effect, these mothers who had attained their college degree interrupted the cycle of poverty. If we could encourage student mother success through program development and implementation, we could be influencing generations to come.

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How??

Buy-in from the governance of your university – especially regarding housing.
Director with background as a clinician/Student Affairs professional
LOTS of grant-writing
Cross-departmental collaboration in academic affairs and student affairs

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Activity

Form groups of 3-5
Discuss the case studies provided
Brainstorm what stakeholders you might discuss this with at your institution. Who might you create a task force with?
How might you identify these students on your campuses?
What might you do to encourage student success among these students?

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In order for student mothers to achieve success, we must first provide food security, housing, and physical safety for their families.

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Bourdieu’s Theory of Cultural Reproduction

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Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital refers to the collection of symbolic elements such as skills, tastes, posture, clothing, mannerisms, material belongings, credentials, etc. that one acquires through being part of a particular social class. Sharing similar forms of cultural capital with creates a sense of collective identity and group position. Bourdieu also points out that cultural capital is a major source of social inequality. Certain forms of cultural capital are valued over others, and can help or hinder one’s social mobility just as much as income or wealth.

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Maria Williamson Ramirez

Misericordia WWC Alumna ‘14

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References

Adair, V. C. (2001). Poverty and the (broken) promise of higher education. Harvard Educational Review, 71(2), 217–240.

American Council on Education. (2005). College students today: A national portrait. Washington, DC: Author.

Austin, S. A., & McDermott, K. A. (2003). College persistence among single mothers after welfare reform: An exploratory study. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice, 5(2), 93–113.

Brooks, R. (2012). Student-parents and higher education: a cross-national comparison. Journal of Education Policy, 27(3), 423-439.

Buteau, R. (2007). Balancing Acts: A Phenomenological Study of Single Mothers Who Are Successful in Higher Education. Chicago, IL: Chicago State University.

Cook, B., & King, J. E. (2004). Low-income adults in profile: Improving lives through higher education. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.

Fenster, J. (2004). Can welfare mothers hack it in college? A comparison of achievement between TANF recipients and general population community college students. Journal of College Student Retention, 5, 421–430

Goldrick-Rab, S. (2010, February 21). The child-care crisis. Chronicle of Higher Education.

Haleman, D. (2004). Greater expectations: Single mothers in higher education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 17, 769–784.

Huelsman, M., Engle, J., & Policy, I. f. (2013, July). Student Parents and Financial Aid. Retrieved from Institute for Women's Policy Research: http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/student-parent-success-initiative/resources-publications/#Resources1

Huff, D., & Thorpe, B. (1997). Single parents on campus: A challenge for today. NASPA Journal, 34, 287–302.

Jing, J., & Mayer, L. (1995). Single parents: In need of a support network. Community College Journal, 65, 44–48.

Lee, S. (2007). Keeping moms on the job: The impacts of health insurance and child care on job retention and mobility among low-income mothers. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Nontraditional students. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Fast Facts. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

Patron, E. J. (2014, January 12). Higher Education: Interrupting the Cycle of Poverty. Retrieved from The Shriver Report: http://shriverreport.org/higher-education-interrupting-the-cycle-of-poverty-eduardo-Patron/

Rose, S. J., & Hartmann, H. (2008). Still a man’s labor market: The long-term earnings gap. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Schulman, K., & Blank, H. (2009). State child care assistance policies 2009: Most states hold the line, but some lose ground in hard times. National Women’s Law Center Issue Brief.

Yakaboski, Tamara. (2010) Going At It Alone: Single-Mother Undergraduate's Experiences, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 47:4, 463-481

U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2016). Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Retrieved from https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/federal-poverty-level-FPL/

U.S. Department of Education. (2010). Child care access means parents in school program. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/campisp/funding.html