Even though they represent more than one in five college students in the U.S., student parents have historically not received the targeted focus they require and deserve along their educational journey. Champions across the California State University have been working tirelessly to ensure student parents have the support and resources they need to persist to graduation.
To centralize the work being done to support this group of students, the CSU began the process of launching a
systemwide Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative (PPSI) in late 2024. The initiative aims to develop a systemwide network that will empower CSUs to share best practices and tailor solutions to their unique student populations.
The PPSI builds upon the work of the
CSU Student Parent Network, a committee sponsored by the
Michelson 20MM Foundation and comprised of faculty, practitioners, student parents and partners in the field working on student parent programming and research.
The network has been working for years to ensure student parents have the support and resources they need to persist to graduation, including throwing their support behind
California Assembly Bill No. 2881. Passed in 2022, AB 2881 seeks to improve access to classes and information about basic needs resources for student parents. To comply with the bill, the CSU is now
collecting data on student parents—which will help the university better serve this group.
With additional funding from the foundation, the CSU has transitioned the advisory board from Michelson 20MM to the Chancellor's Office and will establish a systemwide taskforce that connects stakeholders from across the system. The taskforce will launch in summer 2025.
“The Michelson 20MM Foundation is proud to partner with the California State University as they set new national standards for addressing student needs at scale," said Queena Hoang, the senior program manager for Michelson 20MM Foundation's Student Basic Needs initiative. “As the second-largest student system in California, the CSU's implementation of this groundbreaking initiative to support pregnant and parenting students creates a roadmap for improving student success and uplifting generations."
“This partnership reflects the transformative impact that's possible when philanthropy and higher education work hand in hand," Hoang added.
Within the greater taskforce will be three committees focused on specific aspects of the mission—data collection and tracking, systemwide programs implementation, and policy and advocacy—and a stakeholder group made up of CSU volunteers that includes students, staff, administrators, faculty and community partners dedicated to the PPSI mission.
“It's helpful when there's a centralized place for us to come together and be thought partners around how to do this work,"
said Carolyn O'Keefe, systemwide director of CSU Student Wellness and Basic Needs Initiatives. “I'm pretty excited about this, because I think this is a group of students that could use support that I think oftentimes fly under the radar."
Once fully implemented, the initiative aims to establish formalized services throughout the entire CSU, giving student parents a stronger and more unified voice within the system. The taskforce has already received two grants from Michelson 20MM and its California Student Parent Pooled Fund partners totaling $125,000 to support the CSU's PPSI work to build out the taskforce, evaluate student parent resources systemwide and create a student parent support toolkit.
Michelson 20MM will continue to provide financial support and host annual parenting student symposiums. The
next student parent summit is scheduled for September 9-10 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. There will also be presentations on student parent support in the CSU at the CSU Basic Needs Virtual Convening happening July 15-17.
In addition, the Chancellor's Office is creating a webinar to support campuses with implementing mandates within the
Greater Accessibility, Information, Notice and Support
(GAINS) for Student Parents Act, which it will host this summer.
Support That Scales
While CSU Chancellor's Office staff works to build out the PPSI taskforce, individual CSUs continue to make advancements tailored to support their unique parenting student populations. Many of these practices have the potential to be scaled across the university through the new initiative.
In August 2023, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo became the first CSU to hire a
full-time student services coordinator to lead a program for students with dependents. In this role, Courtney Moore works closely with Dean of Students Joy Pedersen and assistant professor Tina Cheuk—a co-leader of the CSU Student Parent Network committee—to accurately assess the number of Cal Poly students with dependents and educate people about available resources.
Cal State Monterey Bay launched its
Parenting Otter Program in 2024 to provide financial assistance and holistic support for parenting students. Those who join and participate in the program during the fall semester are also eligible to apply for a $2,000 to $3,000 housing stipend for the spring semester.
San Francisco State provides child care and preschool services through its
Early Childhood Education Center, which aims to help student parents attain their educational goals. The center operates four programs throughout the year to match SF State's four enrollment periods for fall and spring semesters and winter and summer sessions.
Fresno State operates a diaper subscription service, Diapers for Degrees, that offers parenting students up to 100 free diapers per month and is the nation's first university-based diaper bank. The university also has an on-campus clothing store,
the Lil' Bulldog Boutique, where students can shop for free clothing items, ranging in size from newborn to 11 years old, as well as some potty-training items.
And, as CSUs continue to expand student housing, many are prioritizing buildings that support nontraditional students like those with dependents. CSUN's
University Village Apartments, for example, is among the few student housing complexes designed specifically for students raising families. Located in a park-like setting at the north end of campus, the complex is designed to feel homier than a typical dorm, and feature private patios as well as a communal pool and a children's playground.
Learn more about Student Wellness and Basic Needs.