Dealing with technical difficulties, ensuring their children are paying attention to virtual classes, completing house chores, showing up for work and attending their own online courses are only a few responsibilities of a student-parent. Coping with distance learning has not been the easiest task, but is especially challenging for those who are adjusting while assisting their children.
With their children at home all day, it has become more challenging for parents who are pursuing an education themselves to set time aside and focus on their schoolwork.
Nicole Moreno, a first-year transfer student majoring in psychology, is a mother to a 9-year-old and a 2-year-old. Moreno, who expects to graduate in the spring of 2022, shared her difficulties in finding time for her schoolwork.
“Having to put my homework or my studying aside and making sure that my kids are taken care of first, time management is what’s going to be most challenging for me,” Moreno said. “But I have to, and I have to find an alternative. There’s always an alternative.”
Veronica Macias, a first-year transfer student majoring in liberal studies, shared similar struggles with balancing her responsibilities as a student and a mother to her 12-year-old daughter.
“I’m kind of juggling trying to listen to my professors and trying to listen to what my daughter needs,” Macias said. “I normally don’t study or do whatever else I have to do until she’s already in bed.”
Rosalia Armas, a transfer student majoring in sociology, said the best time to complete her schoolwork is when her child is asleep.
“I start doing homework or readings before my daughter wakes up,” Armas said. “So that when she wakes up, I feel like I’m ahead, and I can make breakfast for us, feed her, dress her and hang out with her for a little bit. But after that, I have to get back to doing my work.”
To reduce burdens on student-parents, the Parenting Student Support group is working to expand its online presence to support student parents with various resources and counseling during this challenging time. The group has recently created an Instagram account @cpp_parentingstudents where they will post information about upcoming events and resources.
During the first week of school, the group held its first online event to welcome student-parents to the fall semester and provide updates on resources that are available to them. According to the support group, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are resources that are not available right now — such as the Children’s Center and the Poly Pantry. However, it plans to host online events with family-friendly activities that parents can enjoy with their children.
The Parenting Student Support group will also receive a grant to build a family-friendly area on the third floor of the University Library, though it will not be available as soon as the library reopens due to incomplete furnishing according to Sally Romero, a librarian who is a part of the support group and spoke during the welcome-back virtual event.
Nonetheless, it plans to host a grand opening event once it is ready for use.
Ishia Barajas, parenting student liaison and interim enrollment coordinator of the support group, is proud that the campus community can rely on Parenting Student Support during this difficult time. Barajas, once a student-parent herself, hopes to help many others who are in the same position that she was in.
“We want to be able to advocate for them so if they’re having struggles getting in touch with their advisor or they don’t know where to go for financial resources; that’s what my position will be for,” Barajas said. “We help guide them and support them and also to help them learn to self-advocate.”
The Parenting Student Support group offers consultation for student-parents whenever they need advice, support or just want to chat with another parent that they can relate to. Virtual drop-in hours are every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. To make an appointment, email Barajas at ishiaorozco@cpp.edu.
For more information on the Parenting Student Support group, visit its website at https://www.cpp.edu/studentparents/index.shtml.
