In 2021, Tipping Point commissioned a study on the challenges student parents face while earning a degree and the most effective solutions to support them—some of them also being the simplest and most cost efficient to implement.
Tipping Point shared the research with grantees EdTrust-West and California Competes. Together they formed a statewide alliance aimed towards supporting student parents, tested ideas, and brought them to Sacramento. The result was AB 2881, landmark legislation that made California the first state in the nation to require colleges and universities to provide priority registration for student parents. This change provides flexibility to build schedules around childcare, school pickups, and family needs. The law also requires schools to create a dedicated webpage connecting student parents to resources like financial aid, CalFresh, and childcare support.
This policy now reaches nearly half a million student parents a year—students like Jordan Calley.
When Jordan arrived at San Francisco State, AB 2881 had just gone into effect. For the first time, she was able to register for classes early, building a schedule that worked around her daughter Casey’s needs.
It was a meaningful win, and yet barriers remained everywhere. When Jordan brought her concerns to the administration, a dean asked, “How many student parents could there possibly be on campus?” That question told her everything. Of course none of the policies reflected their needs if no one even knew they were there.
One in five college students nationally has at least one dependent child, and research shows that student parents are more likely to drop out despite carrying higher grade point averages overall.
So Jordan got to work. She co-founded a Student Parent Union, ran for student government, and won. Her passion caught the attention of the student body president, who nominated her to the California Alliance for Student Parent Success, the statewide research and advocacy network built by EdTrust-West and California Competes.
It was the connection that took her fight from campus to the Capitol. She testified in Sacramento and traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for student parents at the federal level.
As someone who personally benefited from policies designed to support student parents, Jordan understood how critical those supports can be in helping them stay enrolled and earn a degree. So she continued pushing for change. Last year, she helped pass separate legislation requiring California colleges to account for the real costs of being a student parent, including food, housing, and childcare, when calculating financial aid. This will support up to 400,000 student parents across the state.
Jordan graduated from San Francisco State with a 4.0 GPA.
“I never thought I’d be here. It feels like I did it, I made the jump. I am proof of the upward mobility education affords, not just for me, but for my entire family.”
Jordan Calley spoke at Tipping Point’s annual Breakfast on December 5, 2025. We are proud to share their story and highlight EdTrust-West’s success advancing policies that open the doors of higher education for students across California. Learn more about Tipping Point’s work in education, and view additional stories highlighted at the 2025 Breakfast, including Angela Ramirez and Jordan Jones.
