Tips for Helping Homeless Youth Succeed in College

• Reach out to McKinney-Vento eligible students as early as freshman year to schedule meetings to discuss postsecondary options (e.g. four-year institutions, community colleges, technical colleges, etc.). Continue meeting with these students throughout the year to answer questions, serve as a resource, and remind them of deadlines. Create a checklist to review each time you meet to keep them on track. Encourage McKinney-Vento students to read the U.S. Department of Education’s guide, “I Want to go to College: Now What?”
• Participate in the John Burton Advocates for Youth training course focused specifically on the transition from high school to college. 
• If students are interested in postsecondary education, make sure they take the ACT/SAT exams. Most low-income and homeless students will qualify for fee waivers (ACT & SAT). Reach out to institutions specifically to see if they can waive additional fees for homeless youth.
• Encourage all students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Even if students aren’t committed to postsecondary plans, it is important for them to fill out the FAFSA so they can receive financial aid if they do decide to attend higher education. There are a variety of scholarship opportunities for students, including our Youth Leadership & Scholarship Program. See more information about the FAFSA on our Financial Aid Tip Sheet or Financial Aid webpage. 
• Host a college tour. A college tour is a great way to experience college life first-hand and imagine oneself there. If a college tour isn’t feasible, host a virtual panel of current homeless college students or alumni to talk about their experiences and answer questions. Read how one liaison hosted a “McKinney-Vento Opportunity Tour” and get ideas for how you might replicate her success.
• Be aware of state laws that offer in-state tuition, tuition, and fee waivers like Florida, California, and Maryland. For a full list of states, see our State Policy Resource. 
• Partner with college access programs and other higher education supports like the Dean of Students Office or TRIO Support Services. See our Pathways to Partnership: Higher Education guide for ideas.
• Create FAFSA Mentors or Graduation Coaches that help students experiencing homelessness stay on track with graduation, fill out the FAFSA, and create a plan after graduation.
• Educate school staff (teachers, counselors, social workers, and graduation coaches) on the services and opportunities available to McKinney-Vento students by hosting annual trainings. Read the National Center for Homeless Education’s brief on School Counselor Supports for College Preparation and Readiness for Students experiencing Homelessness.

• Offer opportunities within the shelter to learn more about postsecondary options. Emphasize the importance of finishing high school and pursuing a postsecondary degree. 
• Advertise when local college fairs are in the area. 
• Support youth in completing college applications and FAFSA forms and provide documents to assist unaccompanied homeless youth with independent student determinations. See more on our Financial Aid Tip Sheet or Financial Aid webpage.
• Familiarize yourself with higher education timelines and deadlines. Start introducing offices and support programs early on from the Pathways to Partnership: Higher Education guide.

• Establish relationships with K-12 liaisons and community youth providers, especially if your institution has a homeless higher education liaison or a single point of contact. Some states have policies designating homeless higher education liaisons like California, Tennessee, Maine, and more. See the full list here. 
• Create a welcoming, easily-accessible physical space for students transitioning from high school to postsecondary education to connect with a higher education liaison or point of contact. See tip sheets for homeless higher education liaisons here.
• Encourage students to attend summer bridge programs that assist in the transition to higher education. These programs offer introductory classes, facilitate familiarity with the campus, and establish a sense of community with peers and administrators. IUPUI’s Thrive Program extends their summer bridge program and provides support throughout students’ first year. As the “first look” at a college campus, summer bridge programs build a sense of community and help with retention rates, like Georgetown University’s Community Scholars Program, which has an impressive 92% graduation rate, or Florida State University’s Unconquered Scholars Program, where students experiencing homelessness can meet other students with similar backgrounds.

• Use the Homeless Education Directory to connect with McKinney-Vento liaisons and local high schools in the area to recruit and identify students experiencing homelessness. Project Connect from the Cincinnati Public Schools and the University of Cincinnati have developed strong partnerships. 
• Include a question about homelessness on college applications so that students can self-identify voluntarily. The California Community College and California State University systems use their Common App, CCCApply and CalState Apply respectively, to allow students to self-disclose homelessness. With this information, schools can inform students of available resources, services, and supports. At Skyline College in San Bruno, California, the homeless higher education liaison and financial aid administrator send an introductory email offering support to all students who disclose that they are homeless. Additionally, in 2019 the Georgia Common App provided an opportunity for students to voluntarily disclose whether they have received benefits or services through McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons or foster care. 
• Some institutions like The University of Illinois-Chicago, created a pre-matriculation survey that asks students to voluntarily self-disclose potential obstacles they might face the following year. Examples include food and housing insecurity, having dependents, or being in the foster care system. The institution will then connect the student with appropriate resources and services. 
• Partner with financial aid to identify students who identify as independent. While it is important to be mindful of and comply with privacy and HEA laws, higher education personnel can work with the financial aid office to obtain aggregate data of students who indicated homelessness on the FAFSA, and send them information on support programs or resources, like at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
• Reach out to students under the age of 24 who have claimed dependents on their FAFSA; they are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. For more strategies on identifying and supporting parenting students, see our Parenting Students Tip Sheet.
• Designate a staff person to serve as the higher education homeless liaison to identify students and provide support services and include their contact information on the institution’s website. Some state laws require higher education liaisons, while other states promote higher education liaisons as a best practice. Consider creating “mini-liaison” positions in key offices like at the University of South Florida. The University of Georgia system lists out all the campus homeless and foster youth support contacts here. For more information, see our tips for homeless higher education liaisons here. 
• Collaborate with admissions personnel to find students who have written about their homeless experience in college essays. If eligible, they might qualify for specific programs and scholarships like our Youth Leadership and Scholarship Program. 
• Create clear referral systems like at George Washington University, where students, faculty, and staff can express concern for a student. Empower students themselves to come forward through a self-referral system that does not stigmatize homelessness. 
• Host trainings and workshops about potential signs of homelessness to librarians, campus police, and other faculty/staff members. Provide training for higher education personnel who are the most likely to have direct contact with students experiencing homelessness, such as counselors, case managers, foster youth liaisons, and veteran services. North Carolina State University has a Pack Essentials Ally Knowledge program where students, faculty, and staff can gain a better understanding about these students and be “certified.” 
• Train deans, advisors, and faculty to spot the potential warning signs of student homelessness in the classroom. 
• Train Resident Assistants and Residential Living/Housing offices so they can support students experiencing homelessness and refer students to the appropriate contact or program. 
• Develop relationships with local homeless youth service providers to identify students who are homeless and encourage them to pursue or remain in higher education. Eddy House in Reno has partnered with Truckee Meadows Community College and University of Reno to provide support. 
• Partner with medical practitioners such as doctors and nurses to ask questions about food insecurity, which often can lead to identifying students experiencing homelessness. Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California specifically reached out to students who reported fainting and having low blood sugar levels and learned that many were homeless. 

• Throughout students’ college exploration process, market resources that are available to students experiencing homelessness or who struggle with meeting basic needs. These marketing “touchpoints” can include the college or university website, application and admissions materials, college tours, and orientation programming.
• Host tabling sessions around campus to share services and resources available for students experiencing homelessness. Alter the days, times, and locations to reach out to a wide net of students.
• Utilize the Student Information System (SIS) like Blackboard or Banner to include information about food or housing resources.
• Encourage faculty members to include a note on their syllabus directing students to the appropriate contact if they are experiencing food and housing challenges. Faculty members can also supplement their syllabus notes to include technology-related resources that schools can provide for free, such as on-campus wireless internet, software, clickers, laptops, and tablets for rent. 
• Host programs during breaks where students might still be on campus. Leverage Resident Assistants, alumni, and other personnel and allies to provide/donate meals and build community. 
• Raise awareness and conduct intentional outreach initiatives, such as SNAP or FAFSA application assistance, during homelessness and hunger awareness week. 
• Utilize Peer Navigators like at Jovenes Inc. to provide outreach and reach out to their peers.
• Create safe, open, and comfortable spaces where students feel welcome and can easily access tools and resources. For example, the University of Washington’s Doorway Project offers a pilot community cafe hub where the campus community and service providers collaborate together to serve Seattle’s homeless youth population.

Many schools close for weeks at a time during academic breaks, which commonly occur at fall break, winter, spring break, and summer. During these breaks, students for whom returning “home” is not an option lose access to residence halls, academic buildings, dining halls, and more. The stress of seeking a place to stay and the dangers of homelessness during breaks are serious impediments to academic success.

Strategies to provide housing during academic breaks include:

• Provide access to year-round housing on campus for students in need. West Chester University’s Promise Program supports students with access to year-round housing on campus as well as food and supplies from the Resource Pantry. 
• Plan ahead for particularly vulnerable students. Students whose families are homeless, are homeless and on their own, or are from foster care, are particularly vulnerable to these housing problems. Schools can be proactive and identify these students by partnering with Admissions, Financial Aid, EOP, EOPS, Disabled Youth Services, Foster Youth Programs, and programs for undocumented or migrant family students to work with students in advance to develop a plan for housing during these break closures. For example, the California State University and California Community College systems include a question in their application where students can self-identify that they are homeless. From this information, schools can provide outreach to students in advance, connect them to resources, and also find programs for which they may be eligible.

• Keep residence halls open during breaks. Some institutions have adopted this strategy and include the weekly usage fee in their room and board cost. While other campuses may charge a fee for individual students who want to stay during breaks, this fee might be paid by a department or office if a student is employed and needs to be on campus during this time. Georgetown University offers a variety of bridge housing options for summer and winter breaks. 
• Partner with hotels and consider buying out a few rooms for students. Learn about how several colleges have transformed hotels to residence halls. 
• Utilize the campus community and request that local faculty, staff, and alumni host students. Sacramento State’s Host a Hornet matches interested alumni with students for dinner a few times a month. Neighborhood churches have also opened their homes to students who are homeless or hungry. 
• Because most dining halls close during breaks, ensure students have food over breaks by donating food, providing food in common area kitchens, or coordinating faculty, staff, and alumni to provide meals. Another example is to use meal sharing like at CSU, Long Beach’s Feed A Need program. 

• During the summer, help homeless students maintain their housing by providing on-campus jobs that pay for their summer housing. A few institutions allow students to stay in their rooms all year if they are part of a specific program like the Guardian Scholars Program at San Diego State University. 
• Be open to creative solutions, like partnering with an assisted living home. For example, in Winona Health’s intergenerational Students in Residence Program, students pay a low monthly rent and have access to the facilities and meals at the assisted living home. In return, the students volunteer to assist the residents. 
• Community colleges can partner with four-year institutions that have residence halls like the Massachusetts Student Housing Security Pilot. The four-year institution offers up to five beds for students at the community college who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. Other examples include the partnership between Rider University and Mercer Community College. 

Emergencies can cause homelessness and prevent students from staying in school. Emergencies might include facilities problems, family problems, medical issues, conduct concerns, and roommate conflicts. 

• Establish an emergency housing program. See if Residential Living and Housing can keep a few rooms and spaces available as temporary housing for individuals facing emergency housing problems, as well as students experiencing homelessness. Sacramento State has a robust emergency housing program that provides short-term housing assistance to students for up to 30 days in the residence halls. This time period allows students and the crisis manager to plan and arrange for long-term housing. Students may also receive a meal plan that provides two meals a day. Learn more about their program by watching this archived webinar. 
• Offer emergency aid through grants or loans to help students pay utility bills, rent, or motel rooms as temporary shelter during academic breaks. For more information about emergency aid, see here. 

Partnerships with community agencies are an important way to build housing options for homeless students. 

• Seek out community nonprofits and shelters that have expertise in serving youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. For example, Jovenes College Success Initiative uses a college focused rapid-rehousing model that provides a rental subsidy and case management to youth who are homeless and attend local community colleges. Columbus State in Ohio has their Success Bridge Program which provides a three-tiered level approach for supporting students. College Housing Northwest Affordable Rents for College Student (ARCS) program provides homeless students with stable affordable housing in the Oregon area. Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter provides housing to students in New York City. 
• Partner with volunteers in the community who open their homes to students. Depaul University’s partnership with the Dax Program matches volunteers for a host-home option where students can stay for a 12 week period. Since the host-home program began, they have expanded to provide housing to current Depaul students by paying a small fee. 
• Consider cooperative living like at the Southern Scholarship Foundation in Florida, where students with similar backgrounds live together to cook, clean, and manage a household budget while housing is provided for free. 
• Replicate Massachusetts Moving to College pilot program designed to support unaccompanied homeless youth as they transition to and through a college education. These scholarships are funded through HUD’s Moving to Work program. The program offers year-round, on-campus housing, meal plans, case management support, and other support services. 

Oftentimes students are unaware they meet the definition of an unaccompanied homeless youth. These tailored resources help students understand if they are considered independent on the FAFSA as an UHY, how to receive determinations, and how to answer the FAFSA questions about homelessness. 

High schools:

• School district liaisons can now designate other high school staff members to provide determinations. Watch this webinar to see how to designate and how to ensure that liaisons and designees have systems set in place so that all UHY are identified and receive FAFSA determinations and additional support. 
• This referral form is specifically for counselors, liaison designees, and other school staff who, while assisting with FAFSA applications, discover that a student is UHY.

Financial aid administrators (FAA):

• Partner with offices like admissions, basic needs offices, or homeless higher education liaisons to help identify students who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and provide resources. 
• Some school financial aid offices send a list of independent students to specific offices who then reach out to each student to explain available and relevant resources and services. 
• FAAs can use FAFSA data to target and conduct outreach to students for specific benefits like SNAP, TANF, Section 8 housing, EITC, and more)

Service Providers/Programs: 

• The list of authorized entities to provide UHY determinations has expanded to include all shelters or programs serving individuals experiencing homelessness. 
• Partner with local colleges in the area to increase postsecondary enrollment and college success like how Eddy House partners with local colleges in the Reno area.

For a complete list of outreach and identification strategies, see our Identification Tip Sheet.

Completing the FAFSA can be confusing and complicated. Yet schools and community agencies can provide FAFSA support in many ways. 

• Understand how to determine that a student is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of experiencing homelessness for financial aid purposes. Utilize this sample form letter for students to complete.
• Financial aid administrators should follow the Application and Verification Guide when conducting interviews to evaluate a student’s unaccompanied, at-risk, and/or homelessness status rather than focusing on the reasons for the applicant’s homelessness. FAAs can use this template to conduct a documented interview or ask students to fill out this written statement. 
• Offer one-on-one assistance to students completing the FAFSA by hosting office hours in the financial aid office. Case managers and counselors can be present to help reduce stress and provide additional support. 
• Create a volunteer base that allows college seniors, alumni, and/or others in the community who have completed the FAFSA to support incoming and current college students with their FAFSA completion. For example, Indiana hosts College Goal Sunday every year with financial aid experts to help students and families complete the FAFSA. 
• Consider hosting a FAFSA drive-thru event like how Get2GetCollege partners with local community colleges. Students and families can fill out the FAFSA from the comfort of their cars. 
• Use signage, tabling, articles in the campus newspaper, social media, emails, and/or texts to address common FAFSA myths and remind students about filing deadlines.
• Work with students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Consider recommendations from this report like providing intrusive academic success coaching to students or create appeal protocols that make it easier for students to file appeals. Develop clear, consistent, accessible appeals processes like those at The University of Wisconsin-Madison to ensure that students can access financial supports and meet their basic needs. Watch this webinar recording by John Burton Advocates for Youth’s Community of Practice to learn more about strategies to streamline SAP, or share SwiftStudent, a site that helps students understand the financial aid appeal process with fillable templates. 
• Provide safe and secure access to computers and wifi for students to fill out the FAFSA. 
• Create FAFSA mentors or graduation coaches that help students fill out the FAFSA and develop a plan after graduation like at Frederick County, Maryland. 
• Student parents can use federal financial aid, including loans, to help pay for child care by asking their college to provide a “dependent care allowance,” like at the University of California Merced. Institutions should proactively inform eligible students about this allowance.   
• Read the accompanying FAQ document from a webinar with SchoolHouse Connection and National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
• Share youth-focused financial aid resources, such as those on SchoolHouse Connection’s FAFSA page.  

• Stay up-to-date with the new FAFSA changes from the FAFSA Simplification Act and the impact for homeless and foster youth. Attend professional development sessions from organizations like SchoolHouse Connection, NASFAA, or NCAN. 
• Watch this webinar from Jan. 2024 and read the accompanying FAQ document. 
• Hold professional development training sessions within the financial aid office to discuss homeless and foster youth. 
  • Watch this short video featuring a financial aid administrator. 
  • Practice role playing documented unaccompanied homeless youth determination interviews like in this video.
• Partner with homeless higher education liaisons or other support staff to build stronger connections and referral processes.  
• Utilize SchoolHouse Connection’s customizable Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY) 101 FAFSA powerpoints.
  • 10 min UHY FAFSA 101 template
  • Comprehensive UHY FAFSA 101 template

Higher education liaisons often act as a catalyst for the creation or expansion of campus-based programs. A higher education liaison for homeless students, sometimes called a “Single Point of Contact,” is a person tasked with identifying resources available to students experiencing homelessness, informing students about these resources, and helping with application processes. A higher education liaison also can serve as a direct handoff with K-12 McKinney-Vento homeless liaisons. Designating an individual to focus on homeless students, and sometimes students from foster care, is considered a best practice that has been implemented at many institutions. Related best practices include:

• Provide training for a designated liaison to learn about homelessness and associated trauma and to get ideas for supporting students from other higher education liaisons across the country. See more tips for homeless higher education liaisons here. 
• Send an introductory email with the liaison’s contact information to all students who have self-identified as homeless on the FAFSA or through voluntary questions on college applications. 
• Provide a list of homeless higher education liaisons’ contact information across the state or system like at The State University of New York (SUNY) system or the  University of Georgia system. 
• Identify and train specific points of contact in campus offices, such as at the University of South Florida, about homelessness and ask them to accept and solicit referrals from the higher education liaison so that students are supported by a network of people who are educated about homelessness. 

Raising awareness of homelessness not only brings attention and attracts resources to address the issue, but also reduces stigma and helps educators and community members understand its often hidden prevalence. Some ideas for raising awareness and catalyzing action include:

• Conduct a climate survey to better estimate the number of students experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, and other financial hardships, like the Food and Housing Insecurity Among NC State Students initiative. 
• Host a homelessness and hunger awareness week on campus. 
• Be strategic when locating food pantries/basic needs centers on campus: are they centralized or hidden? 
• Discuss available services during on-campus tours, orientation, and programs throughout the year. 
• Encourage students to support each other by empowering student-led advocacy. 
• View more outreach strategies for students here.

Multi-sector partnerships can help students get the support they need to thrive in college and beyond. Here, we describe several ways that on- and off-campus programs can complement one another to more holistically serve students experiencing homelessness. 

• McKinney-Vento K-12 liaisons – Under federal law, every local educational agency must designate a liaison for homeless children and youth. These individuals are charged with identifying homeless students, supporting them throughout high school, and enabling verification of independent student status on the FAFSA for unaccompanied homeless youth pursuing postsecondary education. Working with K-12 liaisons can ensure a smooth transition to higher education. 
• Shelters and Homeless Services – It is important for campus staff to be knowledgeable about local shelters and homeless assistance programs that are appropriate for young adults. These programs may be able to provide short-term housing, provide unaccompanied homeless youth FAFSA determinations, and provide stability for students to continue college. 
• Food Pantries/Basic Needs Offices – If there is a food pantry/basic needs office on campus, know its location and hours. If there isn’t one on campus, find and establish relationships with local food banks/pantries by using the Feeding America’s food bank locator.
• Financial Aid – Establish a relationship with financial aid administrators who can help students fill out the FAFSA and provide verification of their homeless/foster status if necessary. 
• Residence Life and Housing – Work with individuals in Residence Life/Housing to secure housing for students on campus if available.  Establish an emergency housing program that students can use throughout the school year and during breaks. For more information, see our Housing Tip Sheet. 
• Student Support Offices – Offices like TRIO, Dean of Students, Student Health, Counseling and Mental Health Services, EOP/S, and others are great partners and advocates for homeless and foster youth. Make sure these offices are connected to homelessness initiatives. 
• Other Dedicated Support Groups – Recognize that students experiencing homelessness hold many identities and partner with offices that offer support to pregnant and parenting students, undocumented or mixed-status families, and other affinity groups.  

• Reach out to Kennesaw State University to utilize their KSU CARES Roadmap program. This multi-level program works with colleges and universities directly to build or enhance their program to support special populations like students with experience in homelessness or foster care.  
• Create a case management guide specifically for your school, similar to the John Burton Advocates for Youth Check-In Guide.  
• Collaborate with Residential Life and Housing to keep residence halls open during break periods. For more information, see our Housing Tip Sheet.
• Partner with organizations that repurpose food or turn them into frozen meals like Food For Free and Daniel’s Table. 
• Allow students to give up meal swipes to students in need of dining hall meals like at UCSC Swipes for Slugs. Swipe Out Hunger started at UCLA and has expanded nationally by partnering with colleges where students can donate their extra meal swipes to their peers. 
• Match first-year students with upperclassmen and create a homeless peer mentorship program similar to that at Middle Tennessee State University’s Next Step Mentor program. Likewise, faculty and staff can also serve as mentors to help students navigate college life like at Florida International University’s Fostering Panther Pride Program.
• Rather than giving out book vouchers or purchasing textbooks for students, create a lending library like at Imperial Valley College. They found out that students were more likely to borrow a book and return it for another student to use rather than accepting book vouchers. 

Campus-based programs may have limited effectiveness if students aren’t aware of resources, don’t know how to access them, or choose not to access them due to stigma. According to a national report analyzing emergency aid programs, most grants, loans, vouchers, etc. are not widely advertised. Higher education professionals acknowledged that more students would benefit from knowing about emergency aid, but they expressed a concern that increased marketing could result in student demand that would outweigh existing resources. Word-of-mouth, followed by targeted communication to certain student populations, are the primary methods of disseminating information, yet these methods limit students’ ability to access resources. To improve access while honoring students’ dignity, we recommend some of the following strategies:

• Implement campus-based initiatives that are available to the whole campus community, including students, faculty, and staff. 
• Provide private places where students can meet, if desired. 
• Integrate services and resources to prospective students during the campus tour and admissions to normalize and welcome students who might worry about not belonging because of their financial barriers.  

Most campus-based support programs are funded by individual donors, foundations, or an operational budget. However, new sources of funding may be necessary to keep up with increasing demand. Staffing may be another challenge, especially if responsibilities are added to existing roles. To manage these challenges, we suggest the following tactics:

• Targeted outreach to alumni. No more than 2% of institutions in an emergency aid study reported alumni giving as a primary funding source for emergency aid. 
• Allow employees to donate using an employee payroll deduction form like at Kennesaw State University. Kennesaw also has a tiered-sponsorship opportunity for faculty, alumni, or other friends of the institution. 
• Partner with a local restaurant to host a fundraising event. 
• Host a 5K or other race event where proceeds go towards campus-based funding. 
• Some campuses are purposefully staffing their office with graduate students. At CSULB, their Student Emergency Intervention and Wellness Program is staffed with Masters of Social Work students. These students, supervised by experienced professionals, might need required internships as a part of their graduate programs and come as an unfunded but proactive labor force. Another option is to check in with your local AmeriCorps Vista program for volunteers. 

• Incorporate student leadership in initiatives. Student governments across the nation are assisting in the development of programs and services. Sacramento State’s student government, Association Students Inc (ASI), offers childcare and a food pantry for students in need.  
• Make sure that students are represented in task forces or working groups that are helping build or shape these support programs. 
• University of Michigan students created a “Not-Rich Guide at UM” that many other institutions have replicated on their own campuses. Work with the students who are creating this guide to provide resources and find the missing gaps in services. 
• Pay students for their services or offer stipends when they participate in speaking events, conferences, or more. 
• Learn more about students’ needs on our Youth Resources Page. 

Higher education professionals might consider these strategies to identify parenting students who are experiencing homelessness.

• Partner with Financial Aid to use the FAFSA to identify students under age 24 who have listed dependents and, therefore, might be parenting youth who are struggling to meet basic needs. To learn more about other practices for identifying homeless college students, see our Identification Tip Sheet. 
• Work with Admissions to see if students submitted college essays about being a parenting student. These students might be eligible for specific programs or scholarships.
• Consider using Endicott College’s Family Friendly Campus Toolkit to create a survey to assess and understand the needs of parenting students on campus.
• Provide trainings to faculty and staff about parenting students and their rights under Title IX.
• Work with faculty and deans directly to create priority enrollment or flexibility with class scheduling for parenting students.
•  When advertising events and speakers on campus, include information about whether the event would be appropriate for children (including ages).
• Provide information well in advance to parenting students concerning field trips or lectures that are strongly encouraged or mandatory so that they have ample time to find appropriate child care. 
• Connect parenting students with the Title IX coordinator on campus so that they are aware of their rights. Northern Virginia Community College created a FAQ for parenting students. 
• San Diego State University has a Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative (PSSI) and is conducting a survey to learn more about pregnant and parenting students at SDSU to assess eligibility for priority registration as a parenting student and to gather information to inform programming and resources. 

• Purdue University offers married and family apartment-style housing. This area includes yard space and a playground and is conveniently located near campus for an easy commute to class. 
• Some institutions, like Misericordia University, provide furnished housing year-round for single mothers. In addition to providing housing, Misericordia also covers costs of textbooks, meal plans, medical needs, and laundry access for single mothers and even provides them the opportunity to study abroad. 
• Wilson College, among others, has a Single Parent Scholar Program which provides not only housing to single parents, but also ongoing case management, emotional readiness, time management, financial workshops, and other life skills. 

• On-campus child care can provide a safe, supportive place for children while parents are taking classes. Some campuses provide free child care for children up to a certain age. Wilson College will cover the cost of child care for school age children at the YMCA. Child care services should extend to the evening for students taking night classes. The Isabel Patterson Child Development Center at CSU Long Beach serves as a family support service for the entire campus community, including faculty and staff, but prioritizes students first. 
• Other institutions, like Columbus State Community College, is a Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program grantee and offers childcare vouchers and wrap-around support.
• Student parents can use federal financial aid, including loans, to help pay for child care by asking their college to provide a “dependent care allowance,” such as at the University of California Merced. Institutions should inform eligible students about this allowance.

• Create a child-friendly study lounge like the Family Resource Center at Los Angeles Valley College where parenting students can study. Tutors are available to help both children and parents with school work or enriching play activities. 
• The Early Learning Center at Everett Community College provides a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment that values child development through play-based learning. The center provides a reduced rate and priority enrollment for parenting students enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits. 
• Because of the stresses their student parents face, there is a danger that children of students might come to view school and education negatively, perceiving it to be the source of their parents’ stress. To encourage and create a more positive relationship with school and education, some institutions– like Ohio State’s CHAMPS program –are creating a mentoring program pairing children with other college students. 
• Consider investing in and covering the costs of children’s activities, like sports or clubs. Misericordia University pays for one extracurricular interest per child per year. Misericordia also requires each child and their parent in their program to learn how to swim with lessons taught by the swim team as a safety skill. 
• Normalize the presence of children on campus by hosting campus-wide events targeted for children, like an Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween trick-or-treating, or partnering with the library for events and having children’s books available to borrow.

• Establish relationships with nonprofits that support parenting students, like Generation Hope, which provides a scholarship to parenting students in addition to ongoing case management and professional development opportunities. 
• Pursue partnerships with public housing authorities to support parenting students as “non-traditional students,” such as the partnerships and comprehensive services of Family Scholar House in Louisville, KY. Columbus Scholar House in OH provides Section 8 housing and affordable on-site childcare to parenting students. 
• Collaborate with your local Head Start. A report from IWPR shows that Head Start partnerships with colleges can help increase postsecondary success for parenting students. The report provides guidance for how colleges can explore setting up these programs. Learn more about how Head Start and Early Head Start programs can play a role in helping student parents identify higher education programs in their area here. To learn more about federal and state Head Start policy opportunities, see here.
• Coordinate host homes for young parents experiencing homelessness like in Arizona.