Tipping Point funds poverty-fighting research.
Tipping Point funds research on poverty-related issues, then supports new ideas and policy changes that work to address issues head-on. Tipping Point supported California Competes to produce a series highlighting a policy agenda to expand pathways for student parents. By deepening our understanding of the barriers people face towards prosperity, we can better inform investments, new ideas, and change the conditions that will prevent poverty from occurring in the first place.
Why invest in student parents enrolled in higher education?
Hundreds of thousands of California’s public higher education system are student parents—which include pregnant students, students on parental leave, and others with dependent care responsibilities.
- Student parents have greater financial need than their non-parenting peers
- Student parents are less likely to persist from year to year or earn a degree or certificate
- (The majority) of students parents intend to enroll in a community college, rather than a public four-year or private university
Steps need to be taken to ensure that student parents can achieve their educational goals. Therefore, prioritizing their needs and carving a pathway to and through higher education, specifically community colleges, would not only benefit the parents, but improves their child’s success, and strengthens California’s economy, creating more vibrant communities.
Priorities for California to address the needs of student parents.
- Increase the availability of affordable and quality dependent care
- Increase higher education affordability for student parents
- Advance student-parent friendly institutional design
- Collect and share data on student parents
View the publication Tipping Point supported in partnership with California Competes to better understand how to support parents persisting through college.
