Expressing support for the contributions and achievements of student parents in seeking and completing a postsecondary education and designating September 2025 as “National Student Parent Month”.

Expressing support for the contributions and achievements of student parents in seeking and completing a postsecondary education and designating September 2025 as “National Student Parent Month”.

Whereas student parents are individuals who have children and who attend postsecondary educational institutions;

Whereas student parents make up roughly ¹⁄5 of the postsecondary student population, totaling nearly 3,140,000 individuals;

Whereas 24 percent of female undergraduates are parents and 30 percent are food insecure;

Whereas 48 percent of student parents are first-generation college students;

Whereas 66 percent of parents who are enrolled at an institution of higher education work 40 hours a week or more, 26 percent work 20 to 39 hours per week, and 9 percent work less than 20 hours, which requires those individuals to balance school, work, and caring for their dependents;

Whereas 55 percent of postsecondary student parents are students of color, and of that population—

(1) 21 percent are Black;

(2) 20 percent are Latino or Latina;

(3) 7 percent are multiracial;

(4) 3 percent are Asian; and

(5) 3 percent are Native American, Alaska Natives, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander;

Whereas 45 percent of student parents are military-connected students;

Whereas approximately 844 surviving military spouses are using education benefits for surviving dependents from the Department of Veterans Affairs;

Whereas 90 percent of military spouses have some college education or credential and, on average, make 38 percent less than their civilian counterparts;

Whereas 20 percent of student veterans are single parents while attending school;

Whereas 51 percent of student parents attend community colleges, 16 percent attend public baccalaureate institutions, and 13 percent attend private nonprofit institutions of higher education;

Whereas the cohort of single mothers currently enrolled in higher education will save approximately $19,900,000,000 in public assistance spending;

Whereas 52 percent of student parents report food insecurity, 58 percent report housing insecurity, and 42 percent of student parents experience both food and housing insecurity, compared to 26 percent of nonparenting students;

Whereas two-thirds of student parents live at or near the poverty line, and 52 percent of student parents are Pell Grant recipients, with 85 percent of Black student parents reporting some form of basic needs insecurity;

Whereas, on average, student parents have higher grade point averages than their nonparenting peers, but student parents are 10 times less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree within 5 years than students without children;

Whereas 23 percent of student parents have missed at least 1 class due to a lack of child care;

Whereas student parents are twice as likely to drop out of college and later re-enroll, with 45 percent of such student parents reporting their decision involved childcare or parenting responsibilities;

Whereas a low-income student parent who earns a degree or credential boosts the income of that individual and the earning potential of the children of that individual when those children become adults; and

Whereas student parents are uniquely motivated to excel in their courses of study while often facing challenges, including lack of affordable child care and balancing work responsibilities while attending postsecondary educational institutions: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved,