Education on a budget

Your pregnant daughter's education level is crucial to her future money situation.  The more education she has, the more likely she will be to have a job that pays enough to keep her and her child(ren) out of poverty.  Feminists for Life has an article that contains tips on getting an education on a shoestring budget.

If your pregnant daughter has not yet graduated from high school, she needs to find a way to complete at LEAST that much education.

A GED (General Educational Development) certification is an alternative to a high school diploma that
allows your pregnant daughter to work while preparing for and completing the certification exam. More information about this can be found at www.acenet.edu, which has sample questions, study tools, and the latest information about the GED.

In order to attend school, your daughter will need someone to care for her child.  Will family and friends help her with free or inexpensive childcare while she attends class and studies?  Does your church or community group offer affordable childcare? 

Your daughter will also need transportation to school.  Does she have access to a reliable vehicle?  Can she share a ride with a friend or family?  Can she walk, or take public transportation?

After completing high school or a GED, your daughter should consider getting a college degree of some sort (a 2-year degree or a 4-year degree).  To reduce tuition expenses, your daughter should look at attending a local community college for a few years before transferring to a university to finish a four-year program.  She needs to research carefully to see which courses will transfer so that she doesn't waste time and money on classes that will have to be re-taken.

If your daughter thinks online education would work better for her, she can search for distance
education programs at www.distance-education.org.  She needs to be sure that her online school is accredited, and if she is interested in a profession that requires licensure (such as nursing, teaching, etc.), then she needs to be sure the online college offers this licensure as part of their program.

If your pregnant daughter has to miss a class because of pregnancy issues, sick children or other
family needs, she needs to have a designated buddy or two in each class to take notes or tape the class for her. She should get to know her professors right away by talking to them before and after class.  She should let them know about her situation and her intentions to meet their expectations. She should be sure to call her professors if she has to be absent (even if it’s a large class). This lets the professor know that she is dedicated to their class. It’s also a good tip for distance learners to go beyond email and actually have phone conversations with professors from time to time.

For breastfeeding mothers, find out if there are designated spots on campus for breastfeeding or pumping, or ask other student parents for the best spots.

How to finance her education?  There are many types of scholarships and loans available to
students: take a look at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Only take on the minimum amount of loans necessary to pay tuition expenses. Singlemom.com also has a list of scholarships that are more specific to single mothers. Some employers will pay for part of college tuition. She should consider seeking employment that supports her education. Although working full-time and going to school can be quite the challenge, it is another option for those with support for these goals.

You may find it helpful to read the chapter “Completing School” in our book “How To Survive Your Teen’s Pregnancy".

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