Policy and program needs of pregnant and parenting students on campus

Pregnant and parenting students are enrolling in higher education at numbers higher than previous decades. 38% of students in higher education are adults, with over half identifying themselves as parents. Further, with the changing needs of American society and as professions become more credentialed, this influx of students is likely to only increase. As a result, colleges and universities need to explore and adopt family-friendly programming to attract and retain pregnant and parenting students on campus. To explore the program and policies needs of pregnant and parenting students on campus, a case study was performed at a Mid Atlantic State University. Pregnant and parenting mothers (n=15, 75%) and parenting fathers (n=5, 25%) were recruited and interviewed to discuss their experience attending school as a parenting student and what policies and/or programs were needed to help them reach their academic goals. Using Bourdieau's cultural capital as an analytical tool, the areas of daycare for their children, financial aid, transportation and scheduling were found to be areas in which additional policy and programming efforts were needed. Discussion and recommendations will include the difference in experiences by gender, race, marital status and class standing, with particular attention paid to the differences between mothers and fathers, the gap between what is provided and what is needed and ways to provide assistance to this population so that they can meet their academic goals.