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New study explores the experiences and challenges of student parents across New Mexico

Dr. Renee Ryberg, senior research scientist with Child Trends
Emily Baqir
Dr. Renee Ryberg, senior research scientist with Child Trends

Child Trends, a research organization focused on improving the lives of children and youth, recently partnered with Santa Fe Community College to learn more about the experiences of student parents across New Mexico. The report, “The New Mexico College Student Experience Study”, explores the goals, challenges, and needs of student parents in the state. Scott Brocato spoke with the study’s lead author, Dr. Renee Ryberg, a senior research scientist with Child Trends, about the study.

Scott Brocato:

Talk about the New Mexico College Student Experience study and what its results were designed to provide.

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

So the New Mexico College Student Experience Survey was a joint project between Child Trends and Santa Fe Community College. Basically, we fielded a survey this spring at nine community colleges across New Mexico, and we had, really, two goals. One, we wanted to collect data that could be shared back with leadership, both at individual colleges and at the state level, in terms of what students are going through. And we also wanted to provide data, really for the first time, about student parents: that one in five undergrads are parents, and we really wanted to learn about their experiences in particular.

Scott Brocato:

Well, among the key findings of the study: student parents are struggling to meet demands on their time as they care for their children and maintain intensive work schedules in addition to their academic responsibilities. Can you break down some of the numbers there?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

Absolutely. So the bottom line here is that student parents are busy. Just over half of student parents have more than one child, according to our survey. About three-quarters of student parents work, and 58% work at least 30 hours a week, and that's definitely more than their peers without children. So to squeeze all of that in--working, caring for children, and school--they tend to go to school part time. The largest group of student parents takes six to eleven credits, which is less than that kind of full time cut off.

Scott Brocato:

Another key finding was that student parents’ childcare needs are not currently being met. What sort of needs?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

So childcare is really essential for students to be able to go to class, to be able to study. But what we found was that one in three student parents don't have any sort of childcare. They're on their own. So the first finding was really that student parents need care, but they also in particular need flexible, convenient care. And there were two types of childcare that student parents wanted to use but weren't able to: and those were drop-in care, where you can drop your kid off for a couple of hours to attend class or go to a study group; and on- campus care, where the child is on campus with you, which offers a lot of conveniences for students.

Scott Brocato:

Getting back to the key findings, another key finding was that many student parents would benefit from essential support services. What kind of support services do you feel are needed, especially on campus?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

So we asked students about all the different challenges that they're experiencing as students, as parents, as people. And what really rose to the top were challenges with basic needs, things like food insecurity, housing and security, paying for college, as well as mental health. But then we specifically asked students what they needed, what services they would use, and really what they want is services that recognize themselves as parents on campus. They want family-friendly events, they want study spaces where they can bring their child to campus and study alongside them, and they want family-friendly tutors.

Scott Brocato:

The final key finding was that despite everything on their plates, student parents remained motivated in school to achieve their economic and personal goals. What sort of motivations?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

So we specifically asked student parents who had started their educational journeys, had to leave for some reason, and came back: what motivated you to come back and continue this educational journey? And two answers really rose to the top. About two-thirds of students said they came back to school to increase their earnings potential. That makes total sense. Another two-thirds--so there's overlap here—said they wanted to come back to school to serve as an inspiration, either for their children or other family members. So it's really a “yes, and” student. Parents are going to school for financial gains, but also to serve as an inspiration for their children.

Scott Brocato:

The study points to four areas of opportunity for New Mexico's higher education administrators and policymakers to consider in order to help their parenting students graduate and improve the state's long term fiscal picture. What are those four areas of opportunity?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

So first, we recommend, based on our findings, that colleges create flexible learning environments, because student parents have these really chaotic lives; they need flexibility. Second, we recommend that colleges offer comprehensive support services, things that support students as parents and as students, so we can think about things like mental health support or our food pantry on campus. Third, we recommended taking steps towards creating family-friendly campuses. This could look like on-campus childcare, or it can be simple things like flexible scheduling, online classes. And finally, we recommend enhanced data collection. Most colleges have no idea how many student parents are on their campuses because they don't ask. In order to make strides to improve things for student parents, you have to know who they are.

Scott Brocato:

According to the study in New Mexico, 26% of all undergraduates, or 33,048 students, are parents, and 14,451 college students are single mothers. How do New Mexico's numbers compare to other states?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

They're actually pretty similar. The most recent data show there's about a 2%, maybe more, of students are parents in New Mexico, but it's really pretty similar. And that was actually a striking finding from our survey as well. Many of the issues that rose to the top of importance for student parents in New Mexico were many of those same challenges that student parents face across the country.

Scott Brocato:

And final question: are there things that listeners who aren't policy makers or college administrators--are there anything that listeners can do to help support student parents?

Dr. Renee Ryberg:

Absolutely. So the whole higher education ecosystem can work to better support student parents. A lot of it comes down to just one-on-one relationships: asking a student parent how their kids are, recognizing them as parents. It can also be something as simple as recognizing that there are parents in your classroom. That could be a statement on a syllabus or a flexible deadline. And then beyond the college campuses, there are...I can guarantee you, there are student parents in your life. You may not know it, but just supporting them along their journeys as they reach towards both those economic and family goals.

Scott Brocato has been an award-winning radio veteran for over 35 years. He has lived and worked in Las Cruces since 2016, and you can hear him regularly during "All Things Considered" from 4 pm-7 pm on weekdays. Off the air, he is also a local actor and musician, and you can catch him rocking the bass with his band Flat Blak around Las Cruces and El Paso.