How to Live as a Single Mom & Student

SIngle moms are often the sole breadwinners and caregivers in a family.

Single moms are often caught between a rock and a hard place. They need to provide immediate care for their child, but they also need to better themselves in order to give themselves and their child a bright future. While it is usually challenging to live as a single mom and student, the long-term benefits generally outweigh the temporary sacrifices required. Numerous aid organizations, grants and housing assistance programs are available to make it possible for single moms to return to college and earn their degrees in a timely manner.

Things You'll Need

• Daytimer

Instructions

1. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online, as this is the prerequisite for most school financial aid awards. Visit your school's financial aid office and apprise them of your single-mom status. Fill out every grant, financial aid, loan and single-mom housing application they provide you in the financial aid office, as these professionals can help you to secure more aid for school than you could secure on your own.

2. Sit down and create a realistic time budget. Block out time in your Daytimer for attending classes, studying and working part-time. Ask family members or friends to commit to providing childcare during the hours you have scheduled for school and work duties. If no childcare help is available in your immediate sphere of influence, check out the State Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCR&R) in your region to secure subsidized child care. Make sure to also schedule at least a half hour of quality time with your child each day, so you do not sacrifice bonding with your child in order to obtain a degree.

3. Create a monthly food menu, comprised of affordable meals that can be made in bulk quantities and then frozen. Pastas, casseroles and soups are some common items to put on your monthly, low-cost menu. Spend one or two days at the beginning of each month making the bulk of your food for the month, defrosting only enough food to get you through each new week. Visit your local food pantry if you cannot afford to purchase healthy staples like fruit, vegetables and brown rice.

4. Adopt a few self-care exercises to reduce stress, and keep your eyes on the prize. Deep breathing, daily prayer or meditation, stretching and intentional mindfulness are some common self-care exercises that will infuse you with strength for each new day of being a single mom and a student.

5. Enroll in an online college program, if the time demands of taking classes on campus are simply too much at this point in your life. Online college programs allow you to keep your current day job and take classes from home in the evening. Many online colleges are accredited, which means that the degrees earned from these Internet-based Universities are acceptable to employers or graduate schools across the nation.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider entering school as a part-time student at first, as most single mothers are not prepared for the high levels of pressure and stress that accompany full-time school, part-time work and full-time mothering responsibilities. It is better to earn great grades in a few classes than to earn barely passing grades with a full course load.

• Do not get frustrated with yourself if you drop a few of the balls you are juggling on a daily basis. Extend grace to yourself, or you are likely to give up pursuing an education altogether.

References

• Project Working Mom
• Online Schools for Moms: Single Mom College Student Housing; 2010

Resources

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• NCCIC: State Child Care Resource & Referral Contact