North Carolina Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Help College Students with Children Graduate
About 22 percent of all undergraduates are parents.
;)
Untangle Your Mind!
Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with clear-headed reporting on the latest topics in education.
Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter
Nearly a quarter of undergraduate university and college students are parents, but as they struggle to balance academic and family responsibilities, they are graduating at dramatically lower rates than students without children.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-02) and U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) are looking to change that with a bill filed Thursday, part of work Ross has been pursuing throughout her lawmaking career.
鈥淚鈥檝e been working on this issue for decades,鈥 Ross, who previously served in the North Carolina General Assembly, told Newsline this week.
About 22 percent of all undergraduates are parents, according to . That number is higher at private, for-profit institutions 鈥 about 45 percent.
But studies show are able to get their undergraduate degree by age 30.
Ross鈥檚 bill, the 鈥淯nderstanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2023,鈥 (see below) would require the US Department of Education to collect data on barriers to graduating college and find best practices for improving graduation rates for university and college students who are also parents or caregivers.
鈥淭his should be a bipartisan issue,鈥 Ross said. 鈥淲omen who have children in their teens or twenties 鈥 it鈥檚 not political, it鈥檚 not urban or rural. It鈥檚 just a fact of life.鈥
The problem is a particularly tough one for lower-income parents, Ross said, who struggle to pay for basic expenses in addition to the cost of higher education and often can鈥檛 afford child care.
鈥淲e want higher education and community college to be something that helps raise people鈥檚 standards of living,鈥 Ross said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a double whammy if you鈥檙e already lower income and you鈥檙e trying to get that education and you have this additional expense.鈥
The largest percentage of students with children attend community colleges, according to the US Department of Education鈥檚 National Center for Education Statistics.
As , two North Carolina institutions were recently among 34 colleges and universities that received federal grants to support or establish campus-based child care programs for low-income students from the Department of Education.
UNC-Greensboro received $224,102 under the grant program and Carteret Community College in Morehead City received $105,000.
鈥淚 am a big believer in campus child care programs because I鈥檝e seen how they break down barriers to upskilling and attaining postsecondary education for parents with young children 鈥攂ringing the American Dream within reach for families across America,鈥 said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement on the grants.
Last month, Wake Forest University also announced it will start a child care and early education center in its University Corporate Center, which the university hopes to open for the next fall semester.
鈥淓very student deserves equal access to education and the opportunities that come with it, but far too often the challenges of pregnancy or parenting can derail a student鈥檚 educational path,鈥 Ross said. 鈥淭he Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act will help identify those barriers and work to close gaps in graduation rates for student parents so they can unlock a better and brighter future for themselves and their families. I鈥檓 grateful for the partnership of Congresswoman McBath on this critical issue and promise to keep working to support the education of all students.鈥
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on and .
Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter