College Students with Children Work Hard to Succeed

College Students with Children Work Hard to Succeed

Nearly 5 million undergraduate¹ students in the U.S. are parents.

Their path is not easy. In addition to the demands of school, student-parents face the high cost of childcare and the stress of working one or more jobs. In fact, a little more than only half of student-parents in the U.S. will finish their degrees within 6 years.

But Tsedaye Makkonen is determined² to beat the odds³.?

Unique challenges

Makkonen is 32. She was born and raised in the U.S. state of Maryland, but her family is originally from Ethiopia.

Makkonen first sought an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Maryland 14 years ago. But she says she was unhappy with her choice of subject and did not finish her degree.

Then, after her son was born in 2010, Makkonen decided⁴ to start taking classes at another school in Maryland called Montgomery College. She plans to begin an undergraduate degree program in fine arts soon.

She says starting school again later in life and as a parent has made her a better student.

"You don’t waste time. I’m a single mom … so I know my time is really limited. … There’s so many places that my energy has to go in a day. And looking at the younger students, some of them come in knowing exactly what they want … But you do also see kind of a lot of students … take things for granted⁵."

But Makkonen says that balancing work, school and parenting is never easy.

The more she studies the less she can work, which means she makes less money. Also, between work and school, the time she can spend with her son is limited.

Recent reports from the U.S. non-profit Institute for Women’s Policy Research, or IWPR, find that Makkonen is having a similar experience to other student-parents.

A 2014 IWPR report said that 4.8 million undergraduate students are raising children. And a 2013 IWPR study showed that more than half of student-parents leave school after 6 years without finishing their degrees.

Makkonen says the main problem is student-parents do not receive the type of support they need. For example, parents often need someone to watch their children when they cannot bring the children to school or work. Makkonen’s family and friends support her however they can. But she says there is a lack of affordable⁶ childcare available to everyone in the U.S.

A recent report from Childcare Aware of America said the average cost of sending an infant⁷ to a childcare center in the U.S. is more than a family would spend on average on food for an entire year.

Makkonen admires countries like France and Denmark. The governments of these countries pay large portions⁸ of childcare costs for their citizens. But she thinks the U.S. should go further.

"If we’re trying to raise whole human beings and make the world or … this country … a better place for the following generations, I think childcare should be free. And not only free, it should be high quality."

Makkonen’s wish already came true once: In 1940, the U.S. Congress⁹ passed the Lanham Act that made childcare almost completely free during World War II. But that action ended in 1946.

However, last year Congress did approve almost $1 billion in new spending for early childhood care and education.

Programs for non-traditional students

Some schools are aware of the challenges student-parents face and offer programs to support them. For example, many universities have programs for non-traditional students. These are students who do not seek degrees right after high school.

Bonnie Anderson, who is from the state of Massachusetts, eventually took advantage of one of those programs. She had first started a degree program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst back in 1980. But she chose to not to finish after losing some of her financial aid.

Anderson instead moved to Sweden and then had three children. After returning to the U.S., she decided that she really wanted to earn a degree.

But her parents did not support the idea of her returning to school. They felt Anderson should not take time away from her children just to study. Her parents also felt she should not spend what little money she had on her own education.

So Anderson looked for a university that would offer more than just strong academic programs – she needed a place that could provide additional¹⁰ support for her family. She found it at Wellesley College, an all-female school in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Anderson enrolled¹¹ in Wellesley’s Davis Degree Program in 1995 when she was 34 years old. The Davis Degree Program is designed for students over 24 years old. It lets students choose a class schedule that does not conflict with their work or parenting duties.

But Anderson still struggled with the stress of working several jobs while studying and raising her children. At one point, she came into the office of her academic advisor¹² crying and saying she wanted to quit.

However, her advisor would not let her quit, Anderson says.

"She was kind of like … ‘Whatever you do, don’t drop out. I’m just telling you, whatever you do, you belong here. Don’t drop out.’ And those words were like magic to me. I belong here. I belong here. No one’s ever said that to me in my life."

Anderson finished her degree in 1999. She achieved her goal by turning to her friends for help, asking them to watch her children when she was unavailable.

She also made use of other services at Wellesley, such as the Wellesley Students Aid Society. The society helps lower-income students by giving them donations¹³.

Many schools across the U.S. offer similar programs and services for non-traditional students. Some schools offer special housing¹⁴ to students with children or other special needs.

But a 2016 IWPR report shows that the number of schools offering childcare services to students on their campuses¹⁶ has decreased. The number of public universities offering services decreased from 54 percent in 2002 to 49 percent in 2015.

Diana Courson is the Associate Director for Childhood Services at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The university has been providing support to parents for over 40 years. Also, BestColleges.com put the school 9th on its 2015 list of “50 Best Colleges for Students with Children.”

Courson says the school offers training programs for parents and fun events for children, as well as medical services through the nursing program. The school also built a childcare center on campus¹⁵ with room for 236 children in 2007.

Courson says universities must do all they can to support both parents and children.

"Stress and fatigue¹⁷ ... When the school and the parents have a strong, positive relationship, that pays off in benefits for children and their learning¹⁸."

Anderson believes student-parents should not be treated too much better than regular students. She says people with children must understand that going to school and raising a family at the same time requires sacrifices.

In today’s market, those sacrifices may be necessary. A 2014 report from Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute said that by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs will require more than a high school education.

Words in This Story

undergraduate – n. a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree

take (things) for granted – idiom. to fail to properly notice or appreciate someone or something that is helpful or important to you

affordable – adj. to be easy for someone to be able to pay for

childcare – n. the things that are done to take care of children especially when their parents are away or at work

academic – n. of or relating to schools and education

enroll(ed) – v. to enter someone as a member of or participant in something

schedule – n. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

stress – n. a state of mental tension¹⁹ and worry caused by problems in your life or work

achieve(d) – v. to get or reach something by working hard

campus(es) – n. the area and buildings around a university, college or school

fatigue – n. the state of being very tired

benefit(s) – v. to be useful or helpful to someone or something

1 undergraduate   

n.大学生，大学肆业生

参考例句：

• Mr. Stone spent his undergraduate days in Columbia University,majoring in economics.斯通先生在哥伦比亚大学度过了他四年的大学生活，主修经济学。
• During this time,they are called undergraduate students.在此期间，他们被称为大学本科生。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 granted   

conj.假定，就算v.（退一步）承认( grant的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指正式地或法律上）同意；准许；让渡

参考例句：

• The president granted a general amnesty for all political prisoners. 总统大赦了所有的政治犯。
• She feared she would not be granted re-entry into Britain. 她担心不会获准再次踏足英伦。

6 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

7 infant   

n.婴儿，幼儿；adj.婴儿的；幼稚的，初期的

参考例句：

• Tourism was then still in its infant stage.旅游业当时还处在初创阶段。
• I also need an infant's food for my baby.我要买些婴儿食品给我的孩子。

8 portions   

一部分( portion的名词复数 )； 一份遗产（或赠与的财产）； 分享的部份； 嫁妆

参考例句：

• Three portions of fish and chips, please. 请来三份炸鱼薯条。
• supersize portions of fries 超大份炸薯条

9 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

10 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

11 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

13 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

15 campus   

n.大学校园，学校校园；大学　

参考例句：

• They spoke of the old days on the campus.他们谈起昔日的校园生活。
• The campus covers an area of twenty square kilometres.这个校园占地二十平方公里。

16 campuses   

n.（大学）校园（campus的复数形式）

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change. 大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• Sport looms much larger on US campuses than in China. 体育在美国大学比中国大学突出得多。 来自互联网

17 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

18 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

19 tension   

n.(紧张)状态；拉(绷)紧；张力，拉力

参考例句：

• I could feel the tension in the room. 我可以感觉到房间里的紧张气氛。
• Relaxaion is better than tension. 缓和比紧张好。