Parents and Families

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It’s known that Sacramento State is home to many diverse groups and backgrounds that make up the campus community, but there is one population that is often marginalized and overlooked; students with children. The Parents and Families Program was established in 2012, serving parents of students and expanding to focus on the dire needs of students with children in 2015. Under the direction of Haley Myers-Dillon, the program’s core mission is to serve two communities: the families of students who wish to connect with the campus experiences and students who have their own children while working towards completing their degree. Each group is diligently served by being provided information with communications such as newsletters and engagement opportunities both on and off-campus. To date, the program serves roughly 12,000 parents and 2,000 student-parents.

In its many accomplishments since its creation, the program has recently received the CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents in School) grant, a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which administers the Hornet Family Study Care grant that helps low-income parents in gaining access to affordable and quality childcare while students pursue higher education. P&F is in its third year of a four-year run with the grant totaling $500,000, averaging about $134,000 annually in aid. In addition, the program has also installed diaper changing stations across campus, cleaned up the mother’s rooms, and elevated student-parent needs. This fall semester, it will now begin to proactively serve students who are pregnant. In efforts to keep its targeted student population involved, bi-monthly town hall meetings are also held virtually to foster a sense of community and engagement within the campus to answer questions and voice concerns.

Moreover, P&F continues to engage the community with some of its signature events. The weekend before the start of the fall 2021 semester, a Parents Lounge in Riverview Hall was created for Sac State’s Move-in Day, a weekend for family members to support students moving on campus. Uniquely, STRONG: Hornets Imagine Tomorrow’s Solutions, is a pitch competition where students present ideas and learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. In its fifth consecutive year, student-parents, who serve as judges, are invited to interact with students in preparation for their professional career after graduation. As a result, 85 parent volunteers and 300 students have established connections in the past five years.

To learn more about the Parents and Families Program and keep up with the latest news, you can visit them on the web. They can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.