This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Life Can Be Beautiful, Especially For Student Single Parents And Those With Working Partners

When I started teaching the Business Career Program, we had some really bright single parents who would sometimes miss class due to their child care arrangements falling through, or just from the plain lack of a responsible adult they could trust with their children until the end of their school day. 

Two of the most valuable advantages for students who commit to our program are that face-to-face, one-to-one relationship we as faculty share with our students, and the relationships students cultivate with one another. It is often tough for some of our students to answer questions in the web-based quizzes if they have not experienced the lectures and classroom discussions of the content. So, when a student misses class due to child care complications, it affects not only their relationships on campus, the absence affects their academics as well.

One of the best things we implemented on my campus last year to make our lives as instructors better was when we commenced our relationship with an excellent daycare center in neighboring suburb, Hoffman Estates. It helped us as instructors in at least two ways; first, by offering safe transportation to and from the campus and daycare facility.  Next, because of the service picking up on campus, I noticed that my students who take advantage of the virtual “in-house” daycare facility arrive on campus earlier and stay on campus longer to work on assignments without interruptions, which in some cases has resulted in higher academic performance.

Find out what's happening in Montgomerywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here’s how it works:

·         If an instructor learns of a childcare challenge that a student is experiencing perhaps through a student absence or late arrival onto campus, we refer the student to our Student Services Advisor.

Find out what's happening in Montgomerywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

·         Upon meeting with the student, Student Services describes the service and makes the introduction to the preschool/daycare center’s director. From there, students may tour the preschool and research their references, etc.

·         If the student (and perhaps the other parent) decides to move forward with the process, Student Services helps the student to complete the preschool application.

·         Upon approval, the student can bring their child to campus with them before the first lecture or lab period. The transport driver is parked outside the student entrance before class each morning. They then bring the children back to the drop-off point in the afternoons a while after school ends.

An additional advantage to students is the slightly later drop-off time provides a parent some extra time after school to complete a short errand or work on out-of-class work before the bus returns with the children.

My students who use it find this arrangement to be both helpful and convenient. So there you have it, another great student service from Student Services that makes my job easier! 

Written by Christopher Bennett

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?