Young mothers who pursue college degrees face systemic barriers that can hinder their educational success. The New Moms College Success Program was designed to help young mothers in Chicago persist in postsecondary education by providing individual coaching, financial assistance, and peer support. Chapin Hall conducted a 2-year evaluation of the…

Community college students are experiencing food insecurity at high rates, and students with children are especially vulnerable with as many as 67% being food insecure. To understand food access in certain populations, previous research has examined the food shopping strategies implemented by families to manage a tight budget. In this study we…

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges to students across the United States, particularly those who are parents enrolled in community colleges. California's community college system serves a diverse student population, including a significant number of non-traditional, working adults who are also parents. These students have faced…

This article explores the perspectives of immigrant student-parents who pursued post-secondary education at one community college in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Drawing from interviews with 10 women who had immigrated to Canada as adults, this analysis focuses on the experiences and pathways of the immigrant student-mothers…

Nontraditional nursing students attending community colleges often have difficulties combining learning with parenting. The advent of COVID-19 changed the structure of nursing schools throughout the world. The purpose of this Hermeneutic Phenomenological, study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing students combining learning with…

Food insecurity has been a prevailing issue among college students for a number of years. Over the past decade, studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence rate of food insecurity on college campuses ((El Zein et al., 2019; Gaines et al., 2014; Goldrick-Rab et al., 2018; Patton-Lopez et al., 2014; Payne-Sturges et al., 2018; Riddle et…

Single-parent students are predominantly female, identified as a marginalized group, and a growing population on community college campuses which poignantly suggests an opportunity for change. Single-parent students (n = 12) described angst as they balanced their roles and responsibilities between single-parent and student. Meg stated,…

This transcendental phenomenological study examined how Black fathers' perception of their own and their father's fatherhood impacts persistence in community college. This study interviewed six Black male community college students with children in New York State. The study posed three research questions: (1) How do Black male college students…

There is persistent underrepresentation of female and ethnic and racial minority students in computing. While community colleges provide a unique opportunity to increase diversity in computing fields, many students do not persist. This study aims to understand the factors that predict students' momentum--completion of a certificate, degree, or…

Urban community colleges serve as an agent of democracy, provide open access, and a variety of affordable program options, which attracts a rising number of African American single mothers. The attempt to manage the tremendous responsibility of child rearing single handedly, while in college, increases the dropout rate and is a known factor that…

This study was conducted to investigate the possible influencing factors involved with the Hispanic female population that lives on the Texas and Mexico border and how those factors influence the completion of an Associate of Arts degree at a community college. "Presence in higher education is increasing by all minority groups, except for…

U.S. community colleges are considered historical sites of educational access and opportunity for social mobility for nontraditional students. Theoretically framed in Acker's theory of gendered organizations, this qualitative study explores low-income pregnant and parenting student mothers' experiences with community colleges, spaces that are…

Postsecondary students face a myriad of complex financial decisions and tasks, such as financing their education, choosing a major with a return on investment, budgeting, and crafting repayment strategies for credit card and student loan debt(s). With respect to student loans, many borrowers feel "burdened by the repayment process" and…

In 2011, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) acknowledged the absence of trend data to predict the representation of women in future academic leadership. This gap in the literature coupled with non-representative female leadership numbers and imminent shortages in leadership in the community college sector predicated the…

Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) conducted original research on an often-overlooked group of students--parents with children--as they struggle to make ends meet while pursuing academic degrees and certificates. Student parents often face enormous financial barriers to academic success. They report high financial insecurity including…