It is no secret that balancing parenthood and academics brings both challenging times and rewarding moments. The SFCC faculty recognizes the dedication and time that students with children put forth just to maintain their livelihood. Sylvia Montaño, a single mother who graduated in her mid 20s, was relieved to find this support in the SFCC community after contemplating going back to school for her associates since the birth of her firstborn.
“Growing up, I had a lack of support and didn’t have many examples to go off of,” said Montaño. “So, of course I was going to have doubts about pursuing further education. I don’t say this enough, but I’m proud of myself for sticking through it and I’m grateful for my children, the relationships I’ve made along the way and to have this new sense of community.”
SFCC’s English instructor Carol Dahmen relates to the student-parent experience, and uses her lived experience to support students in their endeavors.
“I’ve had experience teaching students for over a decade and have been a single parent in higher education myself,” Dahmen said. “I’ve learned to find creative ways of thinking outside the box to help them. Depending on circumstances, I’m very apt to schedule a Zoom session with a parent after they put the little ones to bed. It’s not a normal thing to do, but they’ve been eternally grateful. I’ve been in that place.”
SFCC works with students to break the unspoken barriers between parenthood and academics by providing resources and various methods of support. All families enrolled into SFCC’s Early Learning Center have access to the family service coordinators, Jake Jurkovac and Megan McInerney. Jurkovac and McInerney have roles to work one-on-one with families, ensuring that needs are met and goals are set.
“We do monthly parent meetings to bring in resources and help set family goals, and we do family interest surveys at the beginning of the year so we know what parents are looking for,” McInerney and Jurkovac stated. “Sometimes there’s emergent things, like dealing with CPS or legal issues with families that have protection orders, we support families in those ways. But, sometimes it’s also the fun stuff, like planning activities for families to come do together.”
Having children in the picture has been noted by parents to give a new sense of drive and passion, within and outside of academics. Coral McKinsey, an SFCC student working towards a degree in biology, reflects this concept.
“Being someone my kids can look up to motivates me to get out of bed every morning,” said McKinsey. “I’m trying my best to set a good example for my kids, so showing up to school everyday no matter what and putting in the effort to get good grades is really important to me.”
The Early Learning Center staff on SFCC campus recommends that anyone who is interested, regardless of qualifications, should speak to them for clarity or for other resources.
Jurkovac and McCinerney said, “We never want to just, you know, close the door on a family. They might not even know that they’re eligible. Just reach out, or stop by.”
