[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-582895-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-582895-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","parenting-students-and-calworks-findings-from-research","Parenting Students and CalWORKs: Findings from Research","","Research conducted in 2022 by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC examines barriers faced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program. The fact sheet describes who parenting students are and how they navigate public systems while balancing education, work, and caregiving. Findings highlight common struggles such as sole caregiving, financial insecurity, competing responsibilities, and limited access to holistic supports for basic needs.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/parenting-students-and-calworks-findings-from-research/582895/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/parenting-students-and-calworks-findings-from-research/582895.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rhys","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-01","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What research did the fact sheet summarize about CalWORKs parenting students?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It summarizes 2022 research by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC on the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, focusing on who they are and how they navigate public systems while pursuing education.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How common is sole caregiving among parenting CalWORKs students?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Most parenting CalWORKs students are sole caregivers, with 74% reporting they provide all care responsibilities without sharing caregiving duties.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why do parenting students enroll in CalWORKs and community college?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Families commonly enroll in CalWORKs due to a child’s birth or job loss (and other major transitions). Parenting students also pursue community college to better support their families and to find employment, including in new fields.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},582895,1792062450,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":55,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":123,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},687207024643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","Parenting students work hard every day to pursue their goals, often juggling work, classes, and caregiving responsibilities. Public systems and programs can provide critical support, but frequently create additional hurdles for parenting students and their families—especially those with low incomes. In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California’s cash assistance program for families with children.  \nThis fact sheet highlights findings from the research on who parenting students are and their experiences navigating public systems. Often sole caregivers, parenting students are extremely driven to achieve their career and academic goals—frequently seeing their educational pursuits as a step toward creating a better life for their children. But the lack of holistic supports, including inadequate or inaccessible supports to help meet basic needs, are significant barriers for parenting students as they work toward their educational certificates and degrees.  \n“Students always say, ‘I want to do this for my kids,[and] ‘ I want to make things better for my kids’ … [but] the things that our students have to overcome just togo to school, they shouldn't have to in this country.”  \n—LILY, A CALWORKS ADVISOR AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN THE BAY AREA  \nWhile parenting students participating in CalWORKs may have access to supports for child care, transportation, or housing, they often still struggle to afford necessities and manage their competing responsibilities as they pursue higher education and juggle CalWORKs requirements.  \nMEET ADRIANA, A MOM OF THREE AND A STUDENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:  \n“I can't afford to live in California  \nwithout stressing about money constantly… I'm grateful, don't get me wrong… I just worry about the little one . I mean, she's as tall as me . When she grows, it's just like,‘We have to get you clothes again .’ [and] it's an issue . So, when expenses come up,[CalWORKs] is not enough… So, I got a job as well. But the demand of the job, school, and the two children… I quit after like three days, which was a really hard blow to my self-esteem, because I could always keep a job in the past… It is hard to get it alltogether and coordinate . My calendar is full of commitments that I have to make, because if [I don’t], then I will lose participation in a program, or another program won't fund me . Or if I don't send out that letter in time, then my rent's not coming… That fear, it keeps you up at night. That fear of insecurity, and of what could happen. And it's just not me, it's others that I'm responsible for . It's a lot.”  \nWho are parenting students?  \nOur survey of 688 parenting CalWORKs students, fielded in July 2022, found that parenting students are diverse and experience common struggles.  \nSURVEY REPRESENTS A DIVERSE GROUP OF PARENTING STUDENTS  \nPARTICIPATING IN CALWORKS  \nHispanic or Spanish  \nWhite, Caucasian, or European America Black or African American  \nLatine, Latinx, Latino or Latina  \nPrefer not to answer  \nOther  \nMiddle Eastern  \nAsian or Asian American Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander American Indian or Alaska Native Caribbean Islander  \nAfrican National  \n35%  \n0%  \n0%  \nWhen asked, \"How do you identify by race/ethnicity?\" n=601  \nMany parenting students are multilingual.  \n43%  \nof parenting students in the survey report speaking a language other than English at home.  \n74%  \nof parenting students in the survey who report speaking another language at home report that they speak Spanish.  \nThe vast majority of parenting students in CalWORKs identify as female.  \nPublic systems create barriers for all parenting students, despite their gender, that make it more difficult to pursue their goals—though these barriers may be experienced in different ways.  \n91%  \nof parenting students in the survey report identifying as female.  \nMost parenting C","cbCaiub5cmI1ZHKf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiub5cmI1ZHKf","pdf",1127366,"English","# Who parenting students are\n## Demographic diversity and multilingual backgrounds\n## Sole caregiving responsibilities\n# Key barriers in public systems\n## Inadequate or inaccessible holistic supports\n## Financial insecurity and competing responsibilities\n# CalWORKs enrollment and motivations\n## Reasons for joining CalWORKs\n## Why community college is pursued","[{\"question\":\"What research did the fact sheet summarize about CalWORKs parenting students?\",\"answer\":\"It summarizes 2022 research by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC on the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, focusing on who they are and how they navigate public systems while pursuing education.\"},{\"question\":\"How common is sole caregiving among parenting CalWORKs students?\",\"answer\":\"Most parenting CalWORKs students are sole caregivers, with 74% reporting they provide all care responsibilities without sharing caregiving duties.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do parenting students enroll in CalWORKs and community college?\",\"answer\":\"Families commonly enroll in CalWORKs due to a child’s birth or job loss (and other major transitions). Parenting students also pursue community college to better support their families and to find employment, including in new fields.\"}]","Parenting Students and CalWORKs: Findings from Research | PDF",1792044847,25]