Student parents face a number of challenges in their pursuit of higher education. Many juggle work and family responsibilities while going to school and often struggle to find child care. Support from their college can mean the difference between success and failure.

A recently created three-year national certification from Generation Hope aims to help by recognizing and highlighting institutions that are actively and effectively working toward supporting student parents.

Photo: Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource

For Aaron Conrad, being able to attend the University of Pittsburgh as an in-state student meant having to work full time on top of his full-time studies. At times, it also entailed going to food banks. 

Public universities provide lower tuition for in-state residents, but that discount doesn’t go as far at Pitt. The university’s average price of attendance for local families is one of the highest in the country, partly because of downward-trending state investment in public higher education.

“College is too expensive. Kids would do better if they just got a job.” Unfortunately, this narrative is gaining a foothold in the national psyche, and it’s increasingly reported as fact by media outlets across the spectrum.

But it's not about whether college is worth the cost. The focus should be on how to maximize opportunities for young people to advance their economic mobility, writes Kevin G. Walthers of Allan Hancock College in this op-ed.