Why We Invested
Although student parent families are the same families served by many agencies and programs, in addition to postsecondary institutions, we often look at these many varied supports in siloes, separating the Department of Labor from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Education. It would be more effective and efficient to approach solutions and supports for student parents holistically. The Urban Institute, in partnership with Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), is developing a policy roadmap to support student parents’ needs. This project consists of several components, including 1) the creation of a family-based framework that identifies promising research and practice 2) the establishment of a cross-sectoral leadership council to inform this body of work, and 3) the development of a roadmap for how further research or changes in policy or practice would help student parents meet their education goals.