If there’s one thing I know as a parent, it’s how fast growth can happen. Just a few years ago, we at EdTrust-West were focused on drumming up support for parenting students, building awareness that there are hundreds of thousands of student parents on California’s college campuses, and working with our partners, California Competes, to form The California Alliance for Student Parent Success. In 2023, we co-hosted the first Student Parent Summit, a convening to connect advocates and educators around better supporting these students, which drew around 70 attendees.
The growth of student parent work in California is a testament to many things, not the least of which is the determination and brilliance of parenting students themselves. As we mentioned in our recent brief, “Growing Together,” many parenting students find motivation and develop key academic skills because of their parenting. Yet I’m also holding with me an important point made at this year’s Summit by our keynote speaker, Stephanie Land. Stephanie reminded us that while student parents are resilient, capable, and able to juggle competing priorities, they also deserve support. We should not penalize them for being motivated, but rather, use it as an opportunity to ensure their success.
This year’s Student Parent Summit was a full-circle moment: the same campus where I once felt embarrassed to be a parent, where my daughter attended her first preschool, and where I first found my voice as an advocate, became the place that welcomed nearly 300 attendees dedicated to driving student parent success and well-being.
As our video featuring this year’s Student Parent Summit demonstrates, the power of collaboration is palpable in the student parent community. I am thrilled by the success of this year’s convening – you can read more about the Summit here. And in the spirit of collaboration and implementation, I invite everyone to check out The Alliance’s hub page on the GAINS Act, featuring fact sheets and more action-focused resources to implement the landmark student parent legislation. The momentum around supporting student parents is only increasing, and I’m proud to be a part of such an important effort in our state.
