college essays about single parent

Single Parent - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

A single parent is an individual who has most of the day-to-day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver. Essays could discuss the challenges and rewards of single parenting, societal attitudes towards single parents, and the impact of single parenting on children. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Single Parent you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Importance of the Single Parenting Problem

Single parents are often turned down or used as a last resort when adopting a child. Many professionals as well as the general public think it is in the best interest of the child to grow up with a mother and father. This ideal is keeping children in foster care longer than necessary. Individuals have to go through greater obstacles to adopt a child including independent or international adoptions. Even these methods of adoption are not guaranteed. The current policies […]

Children from Single Parenting Family

Single Parenting has been known to history ever since the 17th century. Over 33% of children have lost one parent during their childhood throughout the centuries due to many factors. Single Parent families differ from families with two parents because only one parent decides how to run the household instead of two parents. So, Single parenting is a new economic phenomenon that has become more recurrent possibly due to the death of parent or partner, an unintended pregnancies or single […]

A Two-Edged Mom

It is very difficult for a single mom to raise two children. The demands of life can be too much for this mother and even if she is the best person on Earth, she can possibly fail to successfully raise those two children. This is the case for Amanda Wingfield, the mother of Laura and Tom Wingfield in Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie. Amanda’s husband had left the family when the children were very young. Amanda spends her whole life […]

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Single Parents: Positive Single Parenting

Being a single parent is incredibly challenging, especially if the family is headed by a woman. She must provide and care for her children, including cooking, feeding, clothing, and transporting them, all while maintaining a career. It is essential for her to spend time raising her children, providing them with experiences, activities, and inspiration, all while managing her own professional development. She engages in shaping the futures of her children, guiding them towards establishing their own lives. Until her children […]

Children Grow up Without a Father

Approximately 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States go through a divorce at least once in their lifetime. Some reasons for divorce are extreme such as abuse or neglect of family. Some are simple, such as being in an unhappy relationship or finances. Bringing a little human into the world and teaching them what is right and what is wrong, and not to mention equipping them with the skills to live a happy and healthy life […]

Why is Sociological Imagination Important

Final Paper During the entirety of this semester we have focused on different aspects of social inequality. After being introduced to the chapters provided in the text, you can conclude that social inequality focuses specifically on economic, racial and gender inequality. These three components allow us to see how there is inequality based on one’s wealth/income and physical characteristics as well as the unequal treatment based on gender. As each chapter has shown great significance and insight of why our […]

Effects of Divorce on Families

The most basic effects of separation on kids or young adults incorporate an effect on their psychological changes, proper social skills, scholarly accomplishments and even behavior impacts that can carry on over the span of adulthood. The most recognized effects that divorce has on kids present themselves in the way that children will begin to reprimand themselves for the separation, there is a sense of vulnerability in elements of life that were previously concrete, there are social issues that emerge, […]

Effects of Marriage and Divorce on Children

Development during early childhood is very important. It shapes who a person is in their actions, values, and ideals for the rest of their life. Divorce can affect how a child develops cognitively. Due to the stress of conflict, potential lack of attention or loss of resources the child receives during divorce it can be detrimental to how a young child cognitively develops and can have impacts on their life in the moment, but also long-term consequences. The self-image of […]

Homelessness Issues and Child Care

What exactly do you think of when you hear the word homeless, shelter, or maybe even the word unsettled? Being homeless means to live without a roof over your head, and being in the streets or even living from house to house. Realistically, unfortunate things happen to people, for instance losing a job, losing a house due to not being able to financially take care of yourself, or even having problems with mental health. Homelessness doesn’t only affect adults, kids […]

Junction City Community Center

Abstract In this paper I will identify some public issues in my community that will benefit from having a community center in the city. I will go over the functions of my programs and how they will affect the immediate population. I will also go over potential cost of a program and development of this magnitude and again outline what it will bring to the community. Various social groups and businesses in the area will be attracted to the positive […]

My Admired Person my Mother: the Strength and Resilience

The Pillar of Strength - My Admired Person, My Mother Family is a very strong word that holds a strong meaning. For me, Family is very important. If I did not have the wonderful people that make up my Family, I do not think I could be where I am today. I owe them most of the things I have. However, most importantly, I owe them all the unconditional love and support that I receive from them every day. According […]

Complete and Incomplete Family

There are also several variables that can have an effect in addition to the nontraditional family type. This literature review is broken down into two sections:  nontraditional family type, and  variables. The family type section explains the problems that exist in the different types of nontraditional homes. The variable section goes into more detail about the different variables within these homes that can contribute to poor emotional health among children. Nontraditional Family Types Cohabiting Families. There were overwhelming reviews of […]

Petina’s Unconventional Path to Motherhood in ‘Pa Wars’

Pa Wars is a short story written by writer Patricia Grace, a writer of novels, short stories, and children's books in the mid-nineteenth century. In Pa Wars, Petina tells her old school friend Raycharles that she's looking for a father for her baby. The thread that runs through all the stories, though, is Grace's huge sympathy for the underdog and the perspective of the outsider. The world she depicts is often a stark and unsentimental place, in which people struggle […]

Single Mother Can be Super Successful

We all are a melting pot made up of different ideas and backgrounds depending on out genetics and backgrounds we may have different ways of doing things and different views. Family dynamics have changed over the years and are no longer considered traditional, families are so diverse now and days. The diverse family I choose to explore is a single mom who has two children and one of those children suffer from mental and behavioral issues. The growing diversity in […]

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How Does Society View Single Parents? Research Paper

Introduction, single parent, how society views single parenthood, works cited.

Single families face various challenges as they try to bring up their children like other families. They also face stigmatization in some societies where they are rejected and disapproved. In addition, some religious sectors like Islam and Christianity do not show open support for single parenthood, especially if its causes are contrary to their beliefs.

Single parents therefore face problems from all corners, ranging from schools, government positions, and society at large. Caring for their children is also a challenge as they have to ensure that children grow just as the others who have both parents.

One of the most difficult problems facing single parents is how to integrate into the society with their families. Most societies only recognize married couples as able to raise children in an effective way. Furthermore, children find themselves isolated when in learning institutions as others embrace both parent while they glare in awe (DePaullo 1).

Causes of single parenthood vary and usually lead to different societal views. For instance, single parenthood arising from death of one partner is usually considered correct. However, it does not shoulder the responsibilities that come with it. On the other hand, single parenthood arising from separation and divorce face integration problems in the society, apart from the increased responsibilities.

This disparity in how the society and community at large treat single parents has raised concern all over the world. Their isolation in some States has led to poor development of their children as they are left to offer parental duties to the children. This paper will try to argue out whether societal judgment of single parents based on its cause is justifiable. It will also endeavor to explore the problems faced by single parents in detail (DePaullo 1).

A single parent refers to one who cares for one or more children without the help of one of the biological parents of the child or children. Different nations have varying laws related to single parenthood.

These laws determine how those families are treated or served by their respective governments. Single parenthood may be caused by either of these, choice or unexpected circumstances. The latter include death of one of the parents, abandonment which may occur in tough conditions, parents who neglect their children may cause them to rely on the others for both needs, teenage pregnancies or children born outside marriage.

Single parenthood caused by choice includes scenarios such as surrogate motherhood, child adoption, divorce and separation between biological parents as well as artificial insemination, among others. These factors that cause single parenthood also influence their way of life. It is estimated that most single parent families face prospects of poverty given the increased responsibilities (DePaullo 1).

Some Governments like the United States, UK, Australia, among others, in which there is high rates of single parent families have devised ways of assisting them.

For instance, United States had about 13 million single families in 2006, among which those headed by females were about 80%. This is quite a high rate and the effects are real as they try to make homes for these families. The UK estimated that 52% of single parent families lived below their defined poverty line in 2009, with over 3 million children raised by single parents.

This survey estimated that the UK had about 1.9 million single parents, a very high rate comparing its size and population with the United States. Australia also had over 14% single parent families, a very high number to work with. This has forced government to come in with strategies to assist them given their exposure to poverty and stigma (DePaullo 1).

Society is very instrumental in helping single families integrate well with other members of a community. Of great concern is the fact that most societies categorize single families based on the causes of their status. In most cases divorcees are seen as a bad influence in societies without considering its causes, the church shuns divorce and this makes it very difficult for divorcees to integrate well in the society.

This makes them look like sinners among other congregation. Also, society considers these families as failures and do not approve of their dealings. Some sectors of religion even disapprove integration with such people as they assume that they are bad influence to the supposed ‘clean’ society. This has cause stigma to such families as their children face all sorts of scorn and unanswered questions from their parents (DePaullo 1).

Furthermore, those single families that are caused by unexpected circumstances like death still face some sort of isolation although not to an extent of those caused by choice. In most societies, isolation comes in facing and shouldering of family responsibilities for these single parents.

Schools are areas of challenges for children and parents from single parenthood. Even single parent teachers face discriminations in schools, making it much more difficult for mere students or parents. The stigma that comes with such problems are likely to leave them isolated in community projects and other societal activities.

That is why it is quite important to address such problems as single parenthood, which in most cases, rarely comes out of choice. Most people find themselves in such situations and therefore need communal support as well as government assistance to help them become important channels of development in the society (Richards 277-285).

The paper discusses whether it is right or justifiable to judge single parents based on the causes of their status. Conservatives usually consider single parenthood caused by choice as a taboo in the society. On the other hand, modern societies have continued to embrace single parenthood irrespective of the cause.

Nonetheless, Religious sectors feel that these developments cause societal degradation and pollution of a once ‘clean’ society. These sentiments are usually shared by most religious sectors which abhor such actions. Should society judge single parents based on causes of the status? The following discussion would provide a clear answer to that (Richards 277-285).

Single parents should be judged based on causes of their status

There are several reasons that would make one believe that single parents need to be judged based on causes of their status. For instance, those parents who decide to divorce knowing very well the coming repercussions that would overwhelm them and their children should be discouraged from doing so, when the community or society makes divorce a taboo, this discourages unnecessary divorce.

When these families are not discouraged the society will be polluted and derailed. Such behaviors, on purpose should be discouraged as they may lead to distortions in family values. The world is full of various events and problems, people should be ready to persevere, and this would help in uniting many families (Richards 277-285).

When children have both parents, then their development is well taken care of. Children without one of their parents often end up in mix-ups such as early marriages, teenage pregnancies, stereotype against other genders, which is very destructive to a normal society.

Drug abuse in teenager is mostly connected to child negligence or abuse. Societies will never tolerate child abuse, and negligence. Therefore in that regard, it is important that single parenthood by choice is discouraged in the society. This will help in ensuring good moral values in the community (Richards 277-285).

In that respect, parents should be discouraged from making difficult choices for their children, in divorcing. As much as life is quite difficult and full of distrusts, parents should try as much as they can to avoid such issues, this will be good for their children. It is very important to have children in marriage with both parents fulfilling their responsibilities. Most single parenthoods are as a result of parents neglecting their responsibilities.

This has to be discouraged at all costs, because those who suffer in such situations are children as well as the single parent. Therefore, society is justified in dictating pathways that its members should take, without which; they should be held responsible (Sacks 10).

Single parents should not be judged based on their status

Single parents are just like other people in the community; their status is mostly due to happenings that are beyond control, for instance, when divorce occurs, one of the divorcees usually ends up disappointed or victimized, we cannot judge victims as this would be contrary to societal beliefs. In that regard, single parenthood caused by divorce should not be condemned.

Moreover, some parents neglect their children due to family burdens; some people cannot afford to adequately provide such services to their children and without intending to do so, ends up neglecting their own children. Society should consider these children as their own, with responsibility for their protection lying on their shoulders.

Single parents also need full backing from governments and other related agencies, to boost them both financially and emotionally. In addition, it is important to note that children that suffer from such situations are never at fault, society should therefore endeavor to provide adequate support for these children, physically, and most importantly emotionally by backup their parents (Risman 1049).

Single parents therefore face problems from all corners, ranging from schools, government positions, and society at large. The argument above emphasizes the fact that single parenthood should not be done at will, through careless divorce or neglect of children.

The first argument for society’s justification in judging or isolating single parents, especially those caused out of choice argue that when this is encouraged, people will neglect their responsibilities out of simple problems that can be solved amicably (Richards 277-285).

The second argument, against society’s justification states that even though some people neglect or divorce out of small differences, there are victims of divorce who need to be protected by the society and provided with necessities to enable their children succeed in life.

It goes on to state that these children need protection and love, which only the society can provide. Neglecting them is suicidal for a community that needs to focus on the future.

Moreover, as has been stated above, neglected children tend to enter into bad groupings that would eventually cost society its gains. The society is there to safeguard its members and this cannot be achieved if children are neglected irrespective of the cause. It is therefore important to note that society is not justified in their treatment of single parents (Quinlan 376-390).

It is important to state that single parenthood is a difficult task, as the needs of children are shouldered by one individual. It is also imperative to note that most single parent occurrences are never out of both parent’s wish, but unexpectedly, or out of situations that are quite difficult to understand.

The complexity of such situations ends up in divorce leaving children to one parent, who may or may not have the capability of providing all the requirements. In this regard, as much as society may be justified in their judgment, single parents need support both from the community and government.

They are isolated and feel deprived of social pleasure. These should be accorded to them as required since they too are citizens, who works hard for the good of the nation. They should be allowed into high positions without questions as to their single parenthood; this will boost their morale and have a positive effect on their children (Pong 23-42).

DePaullo, Bella. “The Scientific Study of People who are single: An Annotated Bibliography”. Association of single People . 17.05.2011.17.05.2011. Web.

Pong, Suet-ling. “The School Compositional Effect of Single Parenthood on 10th Grade Achievement”. Sociology of Education 71:1 (1998), 23-42.

Quinlan, Robert. “Father absence, parental care, and female reproductive development”. Evolution and Human Behavior . Volume 24, Issue 6, November 2003, Pages 376-390.

Richards, Leslie and Schmiege, Cynthia. “Family Relations”. Family Diversity . Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 277–285.

Risman, Barbara, and Park, Kyung. “Just The Two of Us: Parent-Child Relationships in Single-Parent Homes”. Journal of Marriage and the Family . 1988, 50, 4, Nov, 1049.

Sacks, George. “Boys without fathers is not a logical new idea.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock: Arkansas.

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Guest Essay

The Explosive Rise of Single-Parent Families Is Not a Good Thing

By Melissa S. Kearney

Ms. Kearney is the author of the forthcoming book “The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.”

There has been a huge transformation in the way children are raised in the United States: the erosion of the convention of raising children inside a two-parent home. This shift is often not publicly challenged or lamented, in an effort to be inclusive of a diversity of family arrangements. But this well-meaning acceptance obscures the critical reality that this change is hurting our children and our society.

The share of American children living with married parents has dropped considerably: In 2019, only 63 percent lived with married parents, down from 77 percent in 1980. Cohabitation hardly makes up for the difference in these figures. Roughly a quarter of children live in a one-parent home, more than in any other country for which data is available. Despite a small rise in two-parent homes since 2012, the overall trend persists.

This is not a positive development. The evidence is overwhelming: Children from single-parent homes have more behavioral problems, are more likely to get in trouble in school or with the law, achieve lower levels of education and tend to earn lower incomes in adulthood. Boys from homes without dads present are particularly prone to getting in trouble in school or with the law.

Making the trend particularly worrisome is the wide class divide underneath it. In my research, I found that college-educated parents have largely continued to have and raise their children in two-parent homes. It is parents with less than a four-year college degree who have moved away from marriage, and two-parent homes, in large numbers. Only 60 percent of children who live with mothers who graduated from high school, or who have some college education but did not graduate, lived with married parents in 2020, a whopping 23 percentage point drop since 1980. Again, cohabitation does not erase the education divide. Neither does looking at the numbers across race and ethnic groups.

The result is less economic security for affected households and even wider inequality across households and childhood environments than economic changes would have wrought alone.

College-educated adults have seen their earnings rise over recent decades, and they have continued to get married at relatively high rates, typically to one another. Their household income has grown considerably. Meanwhile, adults without a college degree have experienced declining rates of employment and relatively modest increases in wages, while becoming more likely to set up households without a spouse or a partner. As a result of the decline in marriage, the economic security of the high-school educated has weakened even more.

A higher level of income is a key mechanism through which married parents transmit advantages to their children. One-parent homes generally do not have the same income as two-parent homes, even when we compare the homes of mothers of the same age, education level, race and state of residence. This largely reflects a simple fact of math: Two adults have the capacity to earn more than one. Even if one thinks, as I do, that the United States should provide more support to low-income families with children in order to help children thrive and also to secure a stronger work force and future for our country, we will most likely never have a government program that fully compensates single parents with the equivalent of the annual earnings of a spouse who works full-time.

Congress allowed the expanded child tax credit to expire at the end of 2021, rejecting a policy that provided families who met certain income thresholds with annual tax credits of $3,000 per child age 6 to 18 and $3,600 per child under 6. What are the odds that the government will start providing one-parent families with, say, benefits equal to the median earnings of an adult with a high school degree, which comes to around $44,000 a year? I would put the odds at zero. As long as that’s the case, income gaps between one- and two-parent homes will be substantial, and income matters a lot for kids’ prospects and futures.

Income differences are not the only driver of differences in outcomes. A second committed adult in the home can contribute considerable time and energy to taking care of children. We can and should do more as a society to try to compensate for these gaps in parental investments. But again, it is highly unlikely that government or community programs could ever provide children from one-parent homes with a comparable amount of the supervision, nurturing, guidance or help that children from healthy two-parent homes receive. That means a generation of children will grow up more likely to get in trouble and less likely to reach their potential than if they had the benefits of two parents in their homes.

It is an economic imperative to break the vicious cycle of a widening class gap in family structure — and more generally, a high share of one-parent homes outside all but the most highly educated groups in society.

That won’t be easy to do. For decades, academics, journalists and advocates have taken a “live and let live” view of family structure. Mostly this reflects a well-intentioned effort to avoid stigmatizing single mothers and to promote acceptance and respect for different family arrangements. But benign intentions have obscured the uncomfortable reality that children do better when they are raised in two-parent homes.

The result is the widespread normalization of one-parent homes outside the college-educated class and woefully little public support for programs aimed at strengthening families. Only 1 percent of the budget of the federal Administration for Children and Families is allocated to “promoting safe and stable families,” as compared to, for example, 15 percent for foster care.

On the other side of the issue, there are people inclined to blame single mothers for having or raising children outside of marriage. But it is not helpful to blame or shame women who are faced with the difficult choice between parenting alone or living with a partner who is an economic or emotional drain on the family. Surely we as a society can openly recognize the advantages of a two-parent home for children and offer a variety of kinds of support to couples who struggle to achieve a stable two-parent family arrangement without stigmatizing single parents and their children. Crucially, we need to bolster parents’ own capacity to thrive and be reliable providers for themselves and their children — including fathers, who were often left out of the conversation.

The issue is complicated, and solutions will necessarily be multifaceted. Just as scholars, journalists and policymakers acknowledge the need to improve schools and debate various reform ideas, those of us who discuss and debate questions of society and policy should be frank about the advantages of a healthy two-parent home for children and challenge ourselves to come up with ways to promote and support that institution.

We need to work more to understand why so many American parents are raising their children without a second parent in the home, and we must find effective ways to strengthen families in order to increase the share of children raised in healthy, stable two-parent homes. Doing so will improve the well-being of millions of children, help close class gaps and create a stronger society for us all.

Melissa S. Kearney is an economics professor at the University of Maryland and author of the forthcoming book “ The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind .”

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20 Scholarships for Students from Single-Parent Households

According to the Pew Research Center , approximately one quarter of children in the United States are raised in single-parent families. While it’s not as uncommon as it once was, growing up as the child of a single parent can carry its own set of unique opportunities and challenges. Some children report closer familial relationships, while others struggle to make ends meet. For single-parent families that only have one income, educational costs can represent an especially significant burden. Fortunately, there are a number of high-quality scholarships that provide financial assistance to students raised by single moms, dads, or other single guardians.

To qualify for many of these single-parent scholarships, you’ll need to complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA®) and calculate your expected family contribution (EFC) to your college education. Not sure how to begin? Use our custom tools to figure out your EFC and answer the FAFSA®’s trickiest questions . Then sign up for Going Merry to find even more scholarships specifically for you. 

20 Scholarships for Children of Single Parents  

It doesn’t matter if you lost a parent to illness or an accident, or if your parents simply divorced when you were young: These awards apply to dependent children from single-parent households of all kinds. So, if you were raised by a single mom or dad, start your scholarship search here. 

1. Vincent Bennett Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Amount: $20,000

Provider : First Responders Children’s Foundation

Eligibility Requirements :

• Minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or technical or vocational institution
• Child of a law enforcement officer or firefighter who died in the line of duty

Application Requirements: Transcript, 3 letters of recommendation, student aid report, financial aid award letter, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency, proof of acceptance or enrollment, personal statement, headshot, list of honors and awards, picture of first responder’s ID or letter from employer

Named for Vincent Bennett Jr., a passionate member of the First Responders Children’s Foundation, this four-year award provides financial support to one exceptional college freshman each academic year. To be eligible for the Vincent Bennett Jr. Memorial Scholarship, you must be the child of a firefighter or law enforcement officer who was killed while on duty. While there’s no required field of study, students pursuing engineering will be given preference. Community service and high academic achievement will also help set you apart.

2. The Toby Merrill Scholarship

Amount: $9,700

Provider : The Toby Merrill Scholarship Fund

• Minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in a college or university

Application Requirements: Essay, list of extracurricular activities, list of honors and awards

Toby Merrill was a committed dad, husband, and friend who tragically lost his life to cancer. To honor Toby, his family and friends created the need-based Toby Merrill Scholarship to help students who have lost a parent pay for their higher education. Because Toby was committed to community service, scholarship recipients will need to complete 10 volunteer hours each year to renew their scholarship. While it’s not a requirement for entry, the award gives priority to students experiencing hardship due to bereavement and/or cancer. 

3. First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarship

Amount: Varies

• Biological child, adopted child, or stepchild of a first responder who died in the line of duty 

If you’re the child of a first responder who was killed in the line of duty, the First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarship could help you pay for college. The award amount varies each year, but the maximum award amount is $6,250, and it can be renewed annually for up to four years. Priority goes to applicants whose parent passed away while on the job. (Stepchildren of deceased first responders qualify, too, as long as they were listed as a dependent on tax returns prior to the first responder’s death.)

4. Jennifer Casey Alderman Scholarship Award

Amount: $10,000

Provider : Twisted Pink

• Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, or Tennessee resident
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Child of a parent who died from metastatic breast cancer 

Application Requirements: Essay

Twisted Pink works to further research and access to care for people with metastatic breast cancer. In honor of Jennifer Casey Alderman, a mother and wife who lost her life to the disease, the organization created the Jennifer Casey Alderman Scholarship Award . To apply, you’ll need to write an essay about any topic of your choosing. (Need help with your essay? Use Going Merry’s essay tips to help you write the perfect one.) You’ll also need to provide proof of your eligibility via an obituary, death certificate, or letter from your parent’s medical oncologist. Scholarship recipients can renew the award each subsequent year for $2,500 annually. 

5. Ava’s Grace Scholarship

Amount: $5,000

Provider : The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

• Missouri or Illinois resident (limited to the following Illinois counties: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, or St. Clair counties) 
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Child of a parent who is or has been incarcerated in a U.S. penitentiary (state or federal)

Application Requirements: Transcript, completed FAFSA®, student aid report, personal statement, resume

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis sponsors the Ava’s Grace Scholarship for students who have at least one incarcerated parent. The award was named for Ava, who founded the scholarship in response to her own mother’s incarceration and her desire to use education to break the incarceration cycle. To qualify, you must have been a resident of Missouri or a few select counties in Illinois for a minimum of two years. Priority goes to students with an expected family contribution (EFC) of $1,500 or less. (If your EFC is greater than $1,500, you can still apply, but you’ll need to demonstrate extenuating circumstances.) In your personal statement, write about how having an incarcerated parent has affected your education, development, and goals for your future. This grant program is renewable for up to eight semesters. 

6. The 9/11 Promise Scholarship

Provider : 9/11 Promise

• Under the age of 25
• Child of a first responder or armed-services member who died in the line of duty 

Application Requirements: 2 letters of recommendation, essay, personal statement, list of honors and awards

The 9/11 Promise Scholarship was originally created to honor those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. Today, the award goes to 11 deserving young students whose lives have been irreparably changed due to the loss of a first-responder parent. The amounts vary between $5,000 and $15,000. This college scholarship can be used to fund undergraduate or graduate studies as well as to finance a trade or vocational degree. The essay prompt asks students to write about what they’ve learned by having a first responder for a parent. (You’ll also need to provide proof of death and documentation of your parent’s service.)

7. ReWritten Scholarship

Provider : ReWritten

• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or trade or vocational school
• Child raised by a single mother

Application Requirements: Personal statement

Statistically, children raised without fathers are more likely to live in low-income communities, face imprisonment, die by suicide, or run away from home — but ReWritten wants to re-write that story. To support students from fatherless households, they’ve created the ReWritten Scholarship . The award ranges from $500 to $5,000 and is intended to help college students gain access to a brighter future. To apply, students should submit a written plan for their higher education and demonstrate financial need. 

8. Life Lessons Scholarship Program

Provider : Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education

• 17 to 24 years of age
• Child of a parent or legal guardian who is deceased 

If you’ve lost a parent or guardian, the Life Lessons Scholarship Program is aimed at helping you afford higher education. This award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. To apply, write an essay or record a three-minute video discussing how the death of your parent impacted your life and your plans for your future. This award is sponsored by Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, so if relevant, be sure to explain how a lack of appropriate life insurance impacted your family financially. The award amount varies, but the total amount for all prizes (usually around 40 total) will be $250,000. 

9. The Family Scholarship Fund

Provider : The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation

• Child of a parent who died in a workplace incident

Application Requirements: Transcript, essay

As part of their mission to support those in occupational safety or health careers, the American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation created the Family Scholarship Fund . The fund works to offset college costs for students who have lost a parent in a workplace incident. The award amount varies by year and financial need. Because application requirements are fairly open-ended (students can be pursuing a degree either full-time or part-time, for example), the selection committee considers each application on an individual basis. For the best chance of winning, write an essay detailing how the loss of your parent affected your life.   

10. Operation Second Chance Scholarship

Amount: $3,500

Provider : Operation Second Chance

• Enrolled as a high-school senior
• Child of a veteran who died from injuries related to combat deployment

Application Requirements: Transcript, student aid report, proof of acceptance or enrollment

Operation Second Chance works to support veterans and their families. To that end, the nonprofit offers its Operation Second Chance Scholarship to the children of veterans killed in combat. To apply, you must be a high school senior planning to pursue higher education in the upcoming school year.  There is no GPA or standardized test score requirement, and students can be planning to attend any kind of post-secondary school: community colleges, universities, vocational schools, and trade schools are all fair game for eligibility.  

11. Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Provider : Colwell Law

• Enrolled in a college or university
• Child raised by a single parent

Application Requirements: Transcript, essay, resume

Colwell Law, a firm that specializes in family and divorce practice, understands how much of a financial burden it can be for single moms and dads to send their kids to college. To help bridge that gap in financial support, they endow the Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship . The award is open to children of single parents as well as to single parents themselves. The application includes an essay where applicants should share how living in a single-parent household has shaped their values, character, and goals. 

12. The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship

Provider : The Quell Foundation Irene Pasierb Memorial Fund

• Minimum GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale
• Child of a parent, caregiver, or sibling who died due to suicide

Application Requirements: Transcript, personal statement

The Quell Foundation Irene Pasierb Memorial Fund is passionate about improving education and reducing the stigma around mental illness. The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship is given annually to students who have lost a parent, caregiver, or sibling to suicide. The scholarship opportunity is open to current high school seniors planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree, as well as to current undergraduate and graduate students. Your personal statement should include how your family member’s death has affected your life and education. (Refer to our tips to craft a compelling personal statement that will help you stand out from the crowd.) 

13. Encore Protection Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship

Provider : Encore Protection

• Child of a parent who died due to a drunk-driving accident  

Encore Protection provides roadside assistance to drivers across the United States. As part of their goal to improve driver safety, Encore is passionate about ending drunk driving. In an effort to support this cause, they’ve created the Encore Protection Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship . This award helps students who have lost a parent to a drunk driving accident afford post-secondary education. To apply, you’ll need to write an essay addressing the effects of drunk driving — both on you and on the community at large. 

14. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund Scholarship

Provider : The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund

• Child of a parent who died due to alcohol, drug, or prescription drug abuse

Application Requirements: Transcript, proof of acceptance or enrollment, essay

The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund was created in honor of Lisa Michelle, a mother who tragically lost her battle with addiction. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund Scholarship supports one deserving student each year who has lost a parent to alcohol or drug abuse. This scholarship opportunity asks students to write an essay about their experience of losing a parent to addiction. In your statement, be sure to explain how a college education will impact both you and your family.  

15. FOZA Scholarship for Maternal Mental Health Awareness

Provider : Friends of Zayne Adams, Inc. 

• Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and/or Native American
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or trade or vocational school 
• Child of a parent who died by postpartum depression-related suicide 

Postpartum depression is a common and often undiscussed illness that affects up to approximately 15% of new mothers, according to the National Library of Medicine . Zayne Adams’s mother was one of them. After he lost her in the first month of his life, his mother’s friends and family came together to create the FOZA Scholarship for Maternal Mental Health Awareness . This scholarship award helps children who have lost a mother due to postpartum depression-related suicide. To apply, you’ll need to write an essay expressing why community service is important to you. This award is open to students pursuing undergraduate, associate’s, and/or trade degrees. 

16. Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans Grant

Amount: Full tuition and fees

Provider : State of Indiana

• Indiana resident
• Under the age of 33 
• Child of a U.S. armed-forces member who died or was permanently disabled in the line of duty

Application Requirements: Completed FAFSA®, student aid report

Unlike a lot of scholarships on this list, the Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans Grant is a grant program funded by the Indiana Department of Education. This program was specifically created for students who both reside and plan to pursue a college degree in the state of Indiana. To maintain eligibility, students must remain enrolled in a degree program at a public university or college. If you qualify for this grant, you will have up to eight years to use the assistance, so you can pause your studies at any time and come back to school later as needed.

17. Redrick Leijon Nicholas Williams Scholarship

Provider : Greater Emmanuel Temple Church

• Los Angeles county resident 
• Black/African American male 

Application Requirements: Transcript, 3 letters of recommendation, essay, video essay

Greater Emmanuel Temple Church, a cornerstone of the local Black community in Los Angeles, created the Redrick Leijon Nicholas Williams Scholarship to support Black men raised by single mothers. The award gets its name from a strong community leader and Greater Emmanuel Temple Church member who worked tirelessly to help his single mother support his four younger siblings. To honor his strength, this award goes to one graduating high school senior each year. You must be entering either a two- or four-year program to qualify. In addition to a written essay, students must submit a 90-second video about their mother, including her sacrifices and the role she played in the applicant’s life. 

18. The Foster Hope Award

Amount: $500

Provider : Foster Hope

• Wisconsin resident
• Enrolled in a college or university 
• Have experienced an adverse life event

Application Requirements: Transcript, 2 letters of recommendation, proof of residency, essay

Originally created for children raised in the foster care system, the Foster Hope Award has been expanded to include all Wisconsin students who have experienced childhood hardship. To win it, you must have experienced an adverse life event — like losing a parent — and be able to write an essay explaining how you’ve demonstrated hope in the face of adversity. Applicants who are a resident of Central Wisconsin or have attended the Royal Family Kids Camp will receive preference during the selection process. You’ll also need to be attending a college or university in-state.  

19. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

Provider : U.S. Department of Education

• Child of a U.S. armed forces member who died during service in Iraq or Afghanistan
• Ineligible for the Pell Grant based on your expected family contribution, but meet all other Pell Grant eligibility requirements 

Application Requirements: Completed FAFSA®, student aid report, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency

The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant is a grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. To be eligible, you must not qualify for the Pell Grant due to your EFC but must meet the other Pell Grant requirements for financial need and U.S. citizenship. The award amount varies each year, but cannot exceed the amount of your tuition. If you qualify, you’re eligible to receive this grant for up to 12 semesters. All you have to do to renew is continue to fill out the FAFSA® each year. 

20. Children of Veterans Tuition Grant

Provider : State of Michigan

• Michigan resident 
• 16 to 26 years old 
• Child of a U.S. armed-forces member who died or was permanently disabled due to service 

The Children of Veterans Tuition Grant is a grant program designed to help Michigan students earn the college degrees of their dreams. To qualify, you must have a parent who is a veteran and who died or was permanently disabled during the course of their service. The award is renewable for up to four years or for $11,200 as long as the recipient maintains an overall GPA of 2.25 or higher. The scholarship amount varies based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA® and your course load, but the maximum for a full-time student is $2,800 per year. 

Get more scholarships delivered to you with Going Merry

Losing a parent — either to death or to personal circumstances — can come with unimaginable grief, not to mention serious financial hardship. That’s especially true if you grew up in a low-income community. Only having one breadwinner can make pursuing a college education more difficult, but it doesn’t have to prevent you from receiving your degree. Thanks to the growing number of scholarship opportunities for children from single-parent homes, financial assistance is within reach. 

If you need help keeping track of application deadlines, making sense of financial aid, or finding other relevant scholarships, Going Merry has you covered. Our intuitive, easy-to-use platform curates awards just for you based on your financial need, personal preferences, and interests.Simplify your scholarship search and application process by signing up for Going Merry today. 

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As a single mom. I thought I had to be 'both parents' for my son. I finally realized we had everything we needed.

• I was a single mom, and I worried my son would feel we were different from other families. 
• I packed our schedule and tried to teach him things I thought a dad would teach him.
• Eventually, I realized I was a good enough parent, all on my own. 

As a single mom, I didn't want my son to feel different from the other kids who lived with both of their parents or had siblings. I probably worked too hard to overcompensate for it being just him and me, as I had heard that the single parent has to be both parents.

In order to make sure my son was getting what I thought he needed, I set the parenting bar way too high for myself. Now that he isn't little anymore and we've both grown up a lot, I can see that I could have done things differently.

I was the one who thought we were missing out

Looking back, I think my son picked up on my own feelings of there being something missing. I had never planned on being a single mom , and it took me a long time to accept my role. In fact, in many ways I was in denial of being a single parent.

Related stories

I thought things would be easier with a partner, and for a little while, I wanted more children . Many of my son's schoolmates had both a mom and dad in addition to siblings, and so I automatically thought my son saw this and wanted the same. So to cope, I viewed my state of single parenting as a temporary condition until I could grow our family.

I packed our schedule too much

I padded our schedule with events to shield us from loneliness , but in retrospect, my son didn't need that. He was always enrolled in an activity, and we always had something social on the agenda, like a family dinner or a lunch with friends.

Even outside of spending time with friends and family, I thought I always had to take him somewhere like the movies, the library, or out to eat. I didn't see it at the time, but I was surrounding us with other people because I thought I wasn't enough for him.

All he needed was his mom

I myself had been raised by a single father and felt that I had missed out on learning things about being a woman from a mother. I thought I needed to make sure I was teaching my son all of the manly things.

I taught him how to play every sport , talked to him about how to talk to girls he liked, and made sure we spent time around male family members. I never had to do any of that though, because he would have learned those things anyway. He still spent time with his father, and at home with me, he saw someone who was taking care of a house as well as taking care of him in every way he needed. I was already "both" parents without needing to try so hard; I just didn't see it.

We each grew to learn that we were enough

While it may have taken a pandemic to shut down our social affairs, eventually my son and I saw that not only were we enough, what we had together was really special. From being just the two of us for so long, we had already formed a strong bond and a beautiful life together at home. We were both elated to just be home with one another and enjoy each other's company. That's when I really learned that he and I had everything we needed all along.

The family my son and I had formed together made it easier for me to see that what I had once wished for didn't equate to a proper family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and there's only one component needed: love. With just the two of us (and our pets), my son and I had all of the love and family that we each needed. I should have always celebrated that from the beginning, instead of worrying so much about what was missing.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Single Parenting — Being Raised by a Single Mother: Personal Experience

Being Raised by a Single Mother: Personal Experience

• Categories: Mother Personal Experience Single Parenting

About this sample

Words: 919 |

Published: Aug 14, 2023

Words: 919 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

The journey to self-discovery: coping with father's absence, outcomes of being raised by a single mother, final thoughts.

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Single Parent Household Scholarship

About the scholarship.

The Single Parent Household Scholarship is available to underserved students who were either raised in a single-parent household, or who are single parents themselves. Students who are involved in their community or workplace and demonstrate financial need are welcome to apply.

• Essay Required : No
• Need-Based : Yes
• Merit-Based : Yes
• Minimum 3.00 GPA
• Residing in the United States
• Seeking an associate, bachelor's, or graduate degree
• Historically underserved population
• Participate in community service, extracurricular activities, or work
• Raised in a singleparent household, or is a single parent
• Demonstrate financial need
• Country : US

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Best Family Essay Examples

Single parenting.

905 words | 4 page(s)

Recently, many discussions evolve around the role of children who were brought up with a single parent. Psychologists and scholars, in general, look at these kids and evaluate their future actions in the societies. For some, it would mean that they will become self-reliant individuals in the society, for others it means a different path. Those who choose another way of leading their lives, often meet various challenges and obstacles. As an outcome, they are more likely to commit violent acts or crimes. Thus, one may say that children who were brought up with a single parent are more likely to commit violence than these who come from full families.

Let’s looks at the root of the issue. Children form their psychological image of the world since the early childhood. They would take whatever is given by their parents. The future of their life choices would help with estimation of the family conditions they have grown up in. Usually, one considered a family with two parents as the most suitable option for bringing up a child. In such family, children would be given all necessary care from the side of parents. So, one may conclude about a balanced parenting, in that case.

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Some of the studies support the argument, too. For instance, family facts state that ‘Compared to peers in intact families, adolescents living in single-mother families were more likely to engage in delinquent acts involving serious property crimes’(Familyfacts.org, 2015). The argument looked at in this essay is rather a demonstrative case. Besides the threat for committing crimes, children who come from the single-parent families suffer other psychological deviations, too, Particularly, these include a higher risk of involvement in delinquency. Such a deviation may be explained by the fact of lack parental involvement, monitoring and parental closeness.

The family structure appears to be a determinant factor for the future socialization of a child. The experience one receives during his childhood years often reflects during adulthood. For instance, those who come from families with alcohol-addicted parents are likely to have negative imprints in their memories that come from their childhood. Yet, the process of upbringing as such plays an important role, too. An education is given in a single family often corresponds to the same care and level of closeness as in other families with two parents.

The topic of this discussion often becomes speculated, too. Particularly, it determines the attitude from the governmental side towards single families as well as the attitude towards crime. Particularly, when one thinks of the US policies and its fear of crime, a lot of involved bodies become scapegoats of the perception of crime. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Justice does not track reliably the family background of people who have committed crimes. However, one may find the numbers that are dated back in the years. “The 1987 “Survey of Youth in Custody” found that 70% did not grow up with both parents. Another 1994 study of Wisconsin juveniles was even more stark: only 13% grew up with their married parents.” (Hymowitz, 2012) Judging from this survey, it is obvious that the likelihood to commit crimes is much higher in the families with a single parent.

Although, taking into consideration only the fact of social origin may not provide with a proper survey result. In other words, one shall look at parental employment, origins, social involvement. Only then, some proven conclusions may be drawn.

There is another argument coming from critiques who state that state that mass incarceration may be considered as the fact of actual creation of more single-parent families. The growth of nation’s prison population implies on the instability not only within the families but also within social policies. So, the correlation between a single parenting and violent acts may appear inverse.

In 1991, Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan declared that children who come from a single-parent family were five times more likely to be poor and twice as likely to commit crimes. Besides, he claimed that they were more likely to get involved in criminal activities, drug and alcohol abuse. So, the message coming from a high-ranking official was rather unpleasant. Moreover, it leads to a significant media reaction when people started to make their impressions based on the official statement.

What’s striking in the discussion is that officials would rather prefer to point out on the surveys results that involve family structure but would avoid looking at the issue of upraise of poverty and failure in schools. Thus, the methods for research as well as the outcomes from these research remain rather questionable.

Certainly, one may not deny the fact that children who come from the single mother families are more likely to commit crimes. This statement may be proved by the research conducted annually. However, one tends to forget about other factors that are not less important.

So, overall one may conclude the fact that children brought up in the single mother families are more likely to commit crimes. However, one shall keep in mind the fact of official statements and scapegoating that arises from the governmental level. It is unavoidable to forget about other major factors in that particular stance.

• Hymowitz, K. (2012). The Real, Complex Connection Between Single-Parent Families and Crime. The Atlantic. Retrieved 18 March 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/12/the-real-complex-connection-between-single-parent-families-and-crime/265860/
• Familyfacts.org,. (2015). Marriage and Family as Deterrents from Delinquency, Violence and Crime. Retrieved 18 March 2015, from http://www.familyfacts.org/briefs/26/marriage-and-family-as-deterrents-from-delinquency-violence-and-crime

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College Essay: My Parents’ Sacrifice Makes Me Strong

After living in Texas briefly, my mom moved in with my aunt in Minnesota, where she helped raise my cousins while my aunt and uncle worked. My mom still glances to the building where she first lived. I think it’s amazing how she first moved here, she lived in a small apartment and now owns a house. 

My dad’s family was poor. He dropped out of elementary school to work. My dad was the only son my grandpa had. My dad thought he was responsible to help his family out, so he decided to leave for Minnesota   because  of  many  work opportunities .   

My parents met working in cleaning at the IDS  C enter during night shifts. I am their only child, and their main priority was not leaving me alone while they worked. My mom left her cleaning job to work mornings at a warehouse. My dad continued his job in cleaning at night.   

My dad would get me ready for school and walked me to the bus stop while waiting in the cold. When I arrived home from school, my dad had dinner prepared and the house cleaned. I would eat with him at the table while watching TV, but he left after to pick up my mom from work.   

My mom would get home in the afternoon. Most memories of my mom are watching her lying down on the couch watching her  n ovelas  –  S panish soap operas  – a nd falling asleep in the living room. I knew her job was physically tiring, so I didn’t bother her.  

Seeing my parents work hard and challenge Mexican customs influence my values today as a person. As a child, my dad cooked and cleaned, to help out my mom, which is rare in Mexican culture. Conservative Mexicans believe men are superior to women; women are seen as housewives who cook, clean and obey their husbands. My parents constantly tell me I should get an education to never depend on a man. My family challenged  machismo , Mexican sexism, by creating their own values and future.  

My parents encouraged me to, “ ponte  las  pilas ” in school, which translates to “put on your batteries” in English. It means that I should put in effort and work into achieving my goal. I was taught that school is the key object in life. I stay up late to complete all my homework assignments, because of this I miss a good amount of sleep, but I’m willing to put in effort to have good grades that will benefit me. I have softball practice right after school, so I try to do nearly all of my homework ahead of time, so I won’t end up behind.  

My parents taught me to set high standards for myself. My school operates on a 4.0-scale. During lunch, my friends talked joyfully about earning a 3.25 on a test. When I earn less than a 4.25, I feel disappointed. My friends reacted with, “You should be happy. You’re extra . ” Hearing that phrase flashbacks to my parents seeing my grades. My mom would pressure me to do better when I don’t earn all 4.0s  

Every once in  awhile , I struggled with following their value of education. It can be difficult to balance school, sports and life. My parents think I’m too young to complain about life. They don’t think I’m tired, because I don’t physically work, but don’t understand that I’m mentally tired and stressed out. It’s hard for them to understand this because they didn’t have the experience of going to school.   

The way I could thank my parents for their sacrifice is accomplishing their American dream by going to college and graduating to have a professional career. I visualize the day I graduate college with my degree, so my  family  celebrates by having a carne  asada (BBQ) in the yard. All my friends, relatives, and family friends would be there to congratulate me on my accomplishments.  

As teenagers, my parents worked hard manual labor jobs to be able to provide for themselves and their family. Both of them woke up early in the morning to head to work. Staying up late to earn extra cash. As teenagers, my parents tried going to school here in the U.S .  but weren’t able to, so they continued to work. Early in the morning now, my dad arrives home from work at 2:30 a.m .,  wakes up to drop me off at school around 7:30 a.m . , so I can focus on studying hard to earn good grades. My parents want me to stay in school and not prefer work to  head on their  same path as them. Their struggle influences me to have a good work ethic in school and go against the odds.  

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College is hard enough — try doing it while raising kids

From Hechinger Report

Hannah Allen attends Hudson County Community College and is the mother of three children. "First you put your kids," she says. "Then you put your jobs, then you put your school. And last, you put yourself." Yunuen Bonaparte/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Hannah Allen attends Hudson County Community College and is the mother of three children. "First you put your kids," she says. "Then you put your jobs, then you put your school. And last, you put yourself."

When Keischa Taylor sees fellow students who are also parents around her campus, she pulls them aside and gives them a hug.

"I tell them, 'Don't stop. You've got this. You didn't come this far to stop. You're not going to give up on yourself.' "

Taylor is exceedingly well qualified to offer this advice. She began her college education in her early 20s, balancing it with raising two sons and working retail jobs in northern New Jersey. And she just finished her bachelor's degree last semester — at 53.

It's a rare success story. There are more than 5 million student parents attending U.S. colleges and universities. Yet they are disproportionately less likely to reach the finish line. Fewer than 4 in 10 graduate with a degree within six years, compared with more than 6 in 10 other students.

Many have long had to rely on themselves and each other, as Taylor did, to make it through.

4 tips for parents and caregivers who want to go to college

Now, however, student parents are beginning to get more attention. A rule that took effect in California in July, for example, gives priority course registration at public colleges and universities to student parents, who often need more scheduling flexibility than their classmates.

New York State in September expanded the capacity of child care centers at community colleges by 200 spots. Its campus child care facilities previously handled a total of 4,500 children, though most of those slots — as at many institutions with child care on campus, nationwide — went to faculty and staff.

For Taylor, child care was a huge issue. She first attended Hudson County Community College in Jersey City, N.J., and later moved on to Rutgers University. While she was in community college, she put her sons in a Salvation Army day care center.

"It's a matter of paying for college, paying for the babysitter or sneaking them into class," Taylor recalled. Even though the community college is among the few that have improved its services for student parents, she remembered asking herself back then, "How am I going to do this?"

Keischa Taylor began her college education in her 20s, balanced it with raising two sons and working retail jobs. She recently finished her bachelor's degree at age 53. Yunuen Bonaparte/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Keischa Taylor began her college education in her 20s, balanced it with raising two sons and working retail jobs. She recently finished her bachelor's degree at age 53.

Experts say there are several factors driving the new efforts to serve student parents:

• They are a huge potential market for colleges and universities looking for ways to make up for the plummeting number of 18- to 24-year-olds. "If you want to serve adult learners, which colleges see as their solution to enrollment decline, you have to serve student parents," said Su Jin Jez, CEO of California Competes, a nonpartisan research organization that focuses on education and workforce policies.
• They offer a potential solution to the need in many states for workers to fill jobs requiring a college education.
• Many parents already have some college credits. More than a third of the 40.4 million adults who have gone to college, but never finished, have children under age 18, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, or IWPR.
• Another reason student parents are more visible now: The COVID-19 pandemic reminded Americans how hard it is to be a parent generally, never mind one who is juggling school on top of work and children.
• A new body of research has also drawn attention to the benefits for children of having parents who go to college. "The greatest impact on a child's likelihood to be successful is the education of their parents," said Teresa Eckrich Sommer, a research professor at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research.

For parents struggling to juggle courses, study time and raising a child, the conflicting demands can seem overwhelming.

Tayla Easterla was enrolled at a community college near Sacramento, Calif., when her daughter was born prematurely four years ago; she took her midterms and finals in the neonatal intensive care unit. "I just found that motherly drive somewhere deep inside," she recalls.

The new kids on campus? Toddlers, courtesy of Head Start

Now 27, Easterla is majoring in business administration at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Krystle Pale is about to get her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. When she looks at her children who live with her, who are 5, 7, 12 and 13, she chokes up. "I want better for them," she says. "I just want them to have a better life."

Sydney Riester of Rochester, Minn., who is about to earn her dental assistant associate degree, also said her children — ages 3, 6 and 7 — were foremost in her planning: "These kids need me, and I need to get this done for them."

There's a surprising lack of information about students in college who have dependent children.

"Ask community college presidents what percentage of their students are parents, and they'll say, 'That's a really good question. I'll get back to you,' " said Marjorie Sims, managing director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, one of a growing number of research, policy and advocacy organizations focusing on student parents.

This is slowly changing. California, Michigan, Oregon and Illinois have passed legislation since 2020 requiring that public colleges and universities track whether their students are also parents. A similar federal measure is pending in Congress.

Broader national data compiled by the Urban Institute show that nearly 1 in 4 undergraduates, and nearly 1 in 3 graduate students, are parents. That's more than 5.4 million people . More than half have children under age 6 , according to the IWPR.

Women make up more than 70% of student parents. Just over half (51%) are Black, Hispanic or Native American. Student mothers are more likely to be single, while student fathers are more likely to be married.

Student parents face huge financial obstacles

Among student parents who go to college but drop out, cost and conflicts with work are the most-stated reasons, various research shows. Seventy percent have trouble affording food and housing , according to the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University.

Most financial aid is based on an estimated cost of attendance that includes tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation and living expenses – but not expenses related to raising a child.

Hannah Allen, who attends Hudson County Community College, gets up at 5 a.m. to get her three kids ready for the day. Yunuen Bonaparte/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Hannah Allen, who attends Hudson County Community College, gets up at 5 a.m. to get her three kids ready for the day.

The out-of-pocket cost of attending a public college or university for a low-income parent can be two to five times higher than for a low-income student without children, according to the advocacy group The Education Trust.

A student parent would have to work 52 hours a week, on average, to cover both child care and tuition at a public university or college, EdTrust says. A separate analysis by California Competes found that students in that state who have children pay $7,592 per child a year more for their education and related expenses than their classmates who don't have kids.

But "when they apply for financial aid, they get financial aid packages as if they don't have children," said Jez, at California Competes. "It's ludicrous."

Forty-five percent of student parents who dropped out cited their need to provide child care as a significant cause, a survey released in February found. Yet the number of colleges and universities with on-campus child care has been dropping steadily, from 1,115 in 2012 to 824 today, federal data shows.

Fewer than 4 in 10 public colleges and universities, and fewer than 1 in 10 private institutions have on-campus child care for students , an analysis by the think tank New America found. Other research shows long waiting lists for those centers, while other students don't bother because they can't afford the cost.

"Colleges and universities that enroll student parents should be committed to serving their needs," said Christopher Nellum, executive director at EdTrust-West. Nellum is himself the son of a student-mother, who ultimately dropped out and enlisted in the military, concluding that it was easier to be a parent there than at a community college. "It's almost willful neglect," he says, "to be accepting their tuition dollars and financial aid dollars and not helping them succeed."

Even where child care is available and spots are open, it's often too expensive for students to manage. More than two-thirds of student parents in Washington State said they couldn't afford child care, a state survey last year found. About half of student parents nationwide rely entirely on relatives for child care.

Hannah Allen, who attends Hudson County Community College, gets up at 5 a.m. to get her three kids ready for the day — first the 4-year-old, then the 6-year-old, then the 8-year-old. "I go down the line," she said. Her schedule is so tight, she has a calendar on her refrigerator and another on the wall.

She can't drop off her children at school or day care earlier than 8:30, or pick them up later than 5. "When my kids are in school is when I do as much as I can." She calls her school days "first shift," while her time at home at night is "second shift."

"First you put your kids. Then you put your jobs, then you put your school. And last, you put yourself," Allen explains. "You have to push yourself," she adds, starting to cry softly. "Sometimes you think, 'I can't do it.' "

Limited sources of assistance

There is a little-noticed federal grant program to help low-income student parents pay for child care: Child Care Access Means Parents in School, or CCAMPIS, which last year received $84 million in funding.

The Government Accountability Office found that student parents who got CCAMPIS's subsidies were more likely to stay in school than students generally . But there were more students on the waiting list for it than received aid. A Democratic proposal in the Senate to significantly expand the program has gone nowhere.

The Association of Community College Trustees, or ACCT, is pressing member colleges to make cheap or free space available for Head Start centers on their campuses in the next five years. Fewer than 100 of the nation's 1,303 two-year colleges — where more than 40% of student parents go — have them now, the ACCT says.

These efforts are a start, but more is needed, said Chastity Lord, president and CEO of the Jeremiah Program, which provides students who are single mothers with coaching, child care and housing. "When your child is sick, what are you going to do with them? It becomes insurmountable. Imagine if we had emergency funding for backup child care."

Challenges on top of challenges

Just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, Hudson County Community College, or HCCC, has steadily added programs to support the parents among its 20,000 students.

It has set aside "family-friendly" spaces in libraries and lounges and holds events for parents with kids, including movie nights, barbecues, trick-or-treating and a holiday tree-lighting ceremony. There's a food pantry with meals prepared by the students in the college's culinary program.

The food pantry on the campus at Hudson County Community College. Yunuen Bonaparte/The Hechinger Report hide caption

The food pantry on the campus at Hudson County Community College.

Student parents get to register first for courses. College staff help with applications to public benefit programs. Lactation rooms are planned. And there are longer-range conversations about putting a child care center in a new 11-story campus building scheduled to open in 2026.

The college's 20,000 students are largely poor and many are the first in their families to go to college, said Christopher Reber, HCCC's president. Many are not native English speakers, and 94% qualify for financial aid . Having children, Reber said, "adds insurmountable challenges to that list of insurmountable challenges."

Those challenges can make it extremely difficult for students to earn a degree. HCCC graduates only 17% of students, even within three years, which is among the lowest proportions in the state.

"If a student doesn't know where their next meal is coming from, it doesn't matter how much academic support you offer — the student is not going to succeed," said Reber, in his office overlooking downtown Jersey City.

With a grant it got in January from the Aspen Institute's Ascend, HCCC is expanding its work with the housing authority in Jersey City to help student parents there enroll in, and complete, job-focused certificate programs in fields such as bookkeeping and data analytics. The grant allowed the college to hire a coordinator to work with student parents, and to appoint an advisory committee made up of those students.

Hudson Community College keeps a supply of clothing for students to wear to internships, job interviews, and in other professional situations. Yunuen Bonaparte/The Hechinger Report hide caption

Hudson Community College keeps a supply of clothing for students to wear to internships, job interviews, and in other professional situations.

A new program will reward student parents with financial stipends for doing things such as registering early, and researching child care options, said Lisa Dougherty, the college's senior vice president for student affairs and enrollment.

A few other colleges and universities have programs designed for student parents. Misericordia University in Dallas, Penn., provides free housing for up to four years for as many as 18 single mothers, who also get academic support and tutoring, priority for on-campus jobs, and access to a children's library and sports facilities.

At Wilson College in Pennsylvania, up to 12 single parents annually are awarded grants for on-campus housing and for child care , and their children can eat in the campus dining hall for free.

St. Catherine University in Minnesota subsidizes child care for eligible student parents , and has child-friendly study rooms.

And Howard Community College in Howard County, Md., whose president, Daria Willis, was once a student-paren t, provides mentorship, peer support, career counseling, financial assistance and a family study room in the library.

"That may not seem like a big deal, but those are the messages that say, 'You belong here, too,' " said Chastity Lord of the Jeremiah Program.

Some of the obstacles for student parents are hard to measure, says Jessica Pelton, who finished community college after having a daughter at age 20. She ultimately graduated from the University of Michigan, where her husband also was enrolled.

"You're typically isolated and alone," Pelton said. "I just kind of stuck to myself."

She would often miss out on nighttime study groups with classmates who lived on campus. "Their priorities are not to go home, make dinner and put their kid to bed." Student parents, she added, "don't have the option to go party. We're not here on our parents' money. We're paying our own way."

Some faculty offered to let her bring her daughter to class, she said, which "really meant a lot to me, because it made me feel like a part of campus."

Finding fellow classmates who are parents helps, too, said Omonie Richardson, 22, who is going to college online to become a midwife, while raising her 1-year-old son and working as a chiropractic assistant 35 hours a week in Fargo, N.D.

"I felt very isolated before I found a group of other single moms," she said. "If we had the understanding and support in place, a lot more parents would be ready to pursue their educations and not feel like it's unattainable."

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.

Correction April 20, 2024

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the university affiliation of Teresa Eckrich Sommer. She is with Northwestern University, not Northeastern.