A Riverside City College club says it’s setting up students for success by providing resources that cater to their needs as students with children.
“Being a parent while attaining a higher education was challenging and when I came to Riverside,” Araceli Calderón said. “I realized that there was no support for parenting students.” Inspired by her own experience Calderón started the club with CalWORKS counselor, Anne Lenox, in 2021.
The Student Parent Club is led by President Maryelese Valencia and Vice President Miriam Muhammad. Both Valencia and Muhammad actively use the resources provided through RCC. “The tools I utilize most are the book and supplies vouchers, the meal vouchers, meetings with counselors, the mental health workshops, and the library,” Muhammad said.
The Salvatore G. Rotella Digital Library hosts a variety of resources for students with children. The Mamava, a breastfeeding pod, can be used by students and faculty to keep breastfeeding on the go and as private and comfortable as possible.
The library also has physical and academic materials to keep children busy while parents study. Education Opportunity Program (EOP) and Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) services are also available to students with children. These services provide gas and grocery cards, parking permits, and financial aid for student fees.
California law gives students with children priority registration. Even with priority registration, parents can find attending college difficult.
Miriam Muhammad has been a member for two and a half years. “My biggest challenge as a student parent is the fact that I am a distance learner. That is the only way I am able to do school right now,” Muhammad said. “The constant changes in online offerings keep forcing me to reevaluate and change my education plan every semester. It is extremely frustrating.”
The club keeps its members stable and supported through challenges they may experience.
“There are many complexities to being a parenting student,” Calderón said. “I want to bring support and a safe space for parenting students at RCC. For me, supporting parenting students is very personal.”
During the college’s fall semester, Calderon said that there were 2,793 flagged parenting students and 1,004 enrolled parenting students.
While there is significant support for student parents, there is still a desire for more. Maryelese Valencia dreams of manifesting a Parent Student Resource Center.
A proposal called “Tomorrow’s Tigers” aims to offer counseling and connections to on-campus and community resources. “The first step would be having an adequate area for the program, funding, and employment for faculty to be on-site at times the program is run,” Valencia said. “It would be a lot of work to get the programs started, but it is possible.”
