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4 tips for parents and caregivers who want to go to college
Waukecha Wilkerson is a mom, a small business owner and a tutor when any one of her three kids is struggling with math homework. On top of all that, she's is a part-time student at Sacramento State in California.
She says being a student parent comes with its own unique challenges ¨C challenges not every college is equipped to help with.
"It's very easy to get lost in the shuffle on college campuses and it can be very confusing without proper advising."
Wilkerson is one of more than 4 million U.S. college students who are also parents. That's about one-fifth of the total undergraduate population, and it doesn't even count students who are caring for siblings or other family members while working toward a degree.
For these students, it's important to find a college that fits into the already busy life of a parent or caregiver. NPR spoke to researchers, policy experts and student parents themselves for their advice on how to know if a college is a good fit. They highlighted four things student parents and student caregivers should consider:
Access to affordable childcare
Overall cost, and timeline of tuition payments
Availability of academic advising
Flexible class scheduling |
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