Report: Understanding Student Parents Using Data

Recent legislation in California requires public institutions, including two- and four-year colleges, to provide priority registration to student parents—which means colleges must collect data on how many of their students have dependents. The requirements also open up additional opportunities for supports and services for these learners.

An Oct. 1 webinar by the California Alliance for Student Parent Success illustrated a comprehensive picture of parenting students and examples of support measures already in place at California institutions, referencing the group’s two most recent reports.

By the numbers: Using federal data, the alliance found 300,000 undergraduate students are parents, around one in eight in the public system. A majority of parenting students are Black, Latino/a, Asian, Pacific Islander or Native American (72 percent), and 47 percent are Latino/a, specifically.

“Supporting student parents isn’t just about improving outcomes, it’s about addressing systems that disproportionately affect communities of color,” said AJ Johnson, policy director at California Competes. “When you support student parents, you are supporting racial equity goals.”

Across institutions, 15 percent of female students and 8 percent of male students have children. Johnson noted this is important for faculty to consider as they establish policy accommodations for childcare responsibilities that many learners would benefit from, such as excused absences.

A larger share of student parents live in inland regions or rural areas in the state, which are farther from public colleges and universities. This can result in longer commutes for student parents and a greater need for flexible learning options, such as online programs. Higher education leaders can use the data to identify ways to create access and reduce costs for parents with more limited opportunities for attending a physical college, Johnson said.

Student parents in California are raising 531,000 children—which is greater than the total number of children who live in Washington, D.C., and a dozen states—and a majority of learners have multiple children (54 percent). “By supporting student parents, you’re not just investing in their education, you’re also investing in the well-being and future of our youngest Californians,” Johnson added.

California state parents by Ashley Mowreader

The data also highlights risk factors for completion among student parents. Over 60 percent of student parents delayed their enrollment in college at least one year, compared to 25 percent of nonparenting students. Delayed enrollment is associated with a lower likelihood of completing college and something leaders should note, Johnson said. Similarly, only 17 percent of student parents are enrolled full-time, while 47 percent of parents work full-time, which can further reduce the likelihood of their degree completion.

Compared to their nonparenting peers, student parents are more likely to receive the Pell Grant (46 percent) and public benefits (39 percent).

Using data to reveal and validate the needs of student parents is key to supporting their success, experts shared. In the webinar, Maya Valree, senior policy analyst at EdTrust West, made a metaphor of data as a flashlight, able to draw focus and attention to the specific needs of students, but also a key to opening doors to support through unlocking resources.

On the ground: Among California State University institutions, the alliance identified Sacramento State and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, as two models of prioritizing student parents’ success.

Cal Poly hired a full-time student services coordinator to lead the program for students with dependents, transforming the initiative from a student-led club to an institution-driven initiative. One of the benefits of this change is being able to preserve institutional knowledge by having data reside in dedicated roles, Valree said. 

Additionally, Cal Poly leaders created an intake form for parenting students to complete, adding to the institution’s level of data collection and understanding of student parents’ needs. This intake form helps identify trends among parenting students, including that a majority of learners with dependents were transfers and graduate students, and that many were commuting long distances (as far as 100 miles) to get to campus. Staff have hosted focus groups with parents around housing to identify applicable solutions.

At Sacramento State, student parents can serve as peer ambassadors, working one-on-one with classmates to support them through their educational journeys, and to serve as liaisons between student parents and the institution and collect data.

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This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Maya Valree's name.