Parenting While in College

According to a Briefing Paper (March 2013) written by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, nearly 25 percent of college students in the U.S., or four million students, have dependent children.  Find the research here.

Students that are raising children are often left feeling isolated and don't always get the support they need. This page is meant to be a resource for those students that are also parents.  It will provide advice from other student parents as well as tips on how to make the most of being a parenting student.  

The complex issues

Time management - Because children are living, breathing beings with their own needs and difficulties, we can not always predict when we will have time to study, do homework or get a break.  So what can one do?

• Go through syllabus and know what's due and when

• Schedule time to do homework when your child has to do homework, if the child is too young, when they are playing on their own or when they are napping or in bed.

• Have reliable day care scheduled and back up plans just in case.

• Prioritize - this is a daily and sometimes hourly activity - knowing what needs to get done and what can really wait or what can be delegated to someone else, can really help with time management. 

Acquiring reliable daycare - Where can you get it?  How can you pay for it?  What if it falls through?

• Family

• Day care center

• Neighbors

• Back up plans

• Applying for assistance for it from the state if you qualify

Finding supports - Who can you count on? What are the resources that available to you?

• Identify friends that are likely to help in some way, even if it's cooking a meal from time to time

• If you have a partner, use them, it's not all up to you alone

• Allow yourself to be open to support, this doesn't only mean with the nuts and bolts of going to school and raising your family, it also means building friendships, forming study groups, etc.

Having good self care - Juggling school, parenting, work, you may have a tendency to put your own care last. We need some balance to have good self care.  Are you getting/doing the things below?  If not, how can you add them in, even if it is only monthly.

• Healthy eating habits

• Healthy sleeping habits 

• Exercise

• Time to yourself

• Time with partner

• Time with friends

• Sometimes just deciding to have some fun and not worry about school or the house  

Things you can do in...

60 mins - Eat dinner with friends or family, take a walk/run/swim, talk with a friend on phone

30 mins - Watch a TV show, Listen to your favorite music, meditate, take a hot bath or shower

15 mins or less - Deep breathing, enjoy a cup of coffee/tea/hot cocoa, color, play with your pet

Learn from those that have been there

Below are links to articles written by other student parents that give you some great answers to the complex issues listed above.  

How to Complete Your Education While Raising Small Children - Article written for ezinearticles.com by Cassandra George Sturges.

Having Children while in College: Challenges and Solutions - Article written for parentwonder.com in October 12, 2011 by Marina Salsbury.

The inadequate child-care system that confronts student parents - Article found on the Washington Post website.  Appeared on November 26 and is written by Ylan Qi Mui.

It takes a village

As noted in many of the articles above, it is important to have a community, supports and people that you can turn to when your stressed, worried, or left in a bind.  Not sure how to build your resources?  

Seek out other parenting students - This may seem daunting but it may not be as difficult as you think.  Talk to others in your classes, talk to your teachers, reach out to student government, put up signs saying you're looking to connect with other parenting students.  You may be surprised how many other students are looking for the same things you are. 

Check out resources in your local community - You may qualify for some assistance you didn't know about.  There may be programs through churches, your local YMCA, or even people in your neighborhood that would be willing to help out. 

Ask for help - This may be especially difficult if you don't have family or close friends in the area.  It's important to build your resources up.  Help may come in small ways from several different people, a neighbor, a local teen, your partner, a classmate, a community organization.  No matter where the help comes from it only comes if you ask. 

Resources in Maine 

Child Care Choices - This is Maine's latest website to inform parents of the child care options in Maine.  This database allows you to:

• Search for suitable Child Care provider based on needs of you and your child

• Find information about Child Care facilities 

• Find a quality rating and help to rate facilities yourself

• Look up child care facilities you are interested in to see if they have any licensing actions against them

• Discover other resources and links to services

Parents as Scholars Program - This program is available to parents who are eligible for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.  To find out more, click on the link provided and read the pdf document.  

Maine's Childcare Subsidy Program - Also known as the Voucher program.  You must apply for Mainecare and note that you wish to apply for the childcare subsidy.