Student parents make up one in eight students in California’s higher education system, and millions more California parents without degrees could consider making college a part of their future. Yet, they often have to navigate higher education systems that weren’t designed with their needs in mind and without clear, centralized information about the supports available to them.
Today, The California Alliance for Student Parent Success, which we co-lead with EdTrust-West, launches the Student Parent Resource Hub, a one-stop shop for current and prospective student parents to find and compare supports across all of the state’s public institutions.
From child care and basic needs supports to financial aid and family-friendly spaces, the Resource Hub brings resources together in one place, making it easier for Californians to access the support they need to thrive in college and beyond.
The Resource Hub has five key functions:
- Campus Profiles: Find detailed information on student parent supports at individual institutions
- Compare Colleges: View different schools’ resources side by side
- Find Campuses by Resource: Select resources and see which campuses currently provide them
- Policy Progress: See a summary of legally required resources available
- Bright Spots and Templates: Discover colleges leading the way and tools to follow their example
The Resource Hub is also an important transparency and accountability tool for higher education leaders and policymakers, helping spotlight where supports exist, where gaps remain, and what it will take to build a family-serving higher education system in California. This launch lays the foundation for sustainable statewide infrastructure that helps students navigate college and helps institutions better serve today’s learners.
Importantly, the Resource Hub lets student parents know that they belong on campus and creates clearer pathways for student parents to achieve their college dreams.
