A big concern for a lot of single parents is finances, and when you go back to school, those concerns can double. When you go back to school, you have to worry about tuition, books, gas, and extra child care on top of the financial things you already worry about. This can not only put a lot of stress on you, but your child/ren can and will pick up on that stress, and you may get short and testy with your children. The only way to avoid this is to have a plan. There are several ways to get help with your expenses.
Grants are the most common way to get financial help when going to college. For those that are unaware, grants are monies given to someone that do not need to be paid back. There are both federal and state grants available. To get either one of these you have to fill out your FASFA. It can seem like a pain to fill out because it seems so long, but it really isn’t as long as it seems, and it is well worth it in the long run. Single parents rarely get turned down for these grants unless you are making quite a bit of money from employment. Also, here in Minnesota, they also have grants for child care. This is something you should definitely look into in your area.
Scholarships are another way to get financial assistance. There are A LOT of different scholarships available. Some are directly through the school you are going to, some are private, some are from corporations, etc. There are a lot of different ways to go about getting scholarships as well. Some of them you just have to fill out the application, some you may have to write a one or two page explanation as to why you should get the scholarship, some you may need letters of recommendation, some, you may not. The basis of scholarships are varied too. Some are specifically for single parents, some are financial need based, some are for specific majors. Financial aid office is a great source of information on all of them. United Way in Missouri just gave away their first 9 of hopefully many scholarships just for single parents
Work study is another option. This is where you get a part time job at the school, and you are paid to do it. When you do this, you aren’t technically paid by the school, but by special grants that are set aside specifically for this. The financial aid office at your school will have information on jobs available to work study students. Some examples of work study jobs would be lab assistants, customer service at the front desk, and green house assistants. The only problem this can cause for a single parent is, you may be paying out more for childcare than you are making from the job. On the plus side though, this isn’t considered income per say. It is considered financial aid for school.
Student loans is an option for financial aid, but I believe this should be a last resort option. Getting into debt before you even start school is never a good idea, but if this is your only option, it is worth looking into. My sister is still paying off her student loans from 10 years ago when she went to school as a single parent, and she ended up not even working in the field that she went to college for in the first place.
Also, some employers will pay for college for their employees. This is another option worth looking into. Some will pay for any schooling, some will only pay for something in the same area as the business is in. Ask around and see if your place of employment has college tuition reimbursement.
Government Grants for the Single Parent
Tuition Waivers for College Studies