Beyond Barriers: How Community College Student Parents Leverage Cultural Wealth for Success

Dr. Cindy Miles Community college student parents face an undeniable reality: only 37 percent complete a degree or certificate within six years, compared to 59 percent of students without children (Reichlin Cruse et al., 2019). Nearly three-quarters of student parents are women, and the majority are students of color, reflecting that parenting students often come from populations that have faced historical barriers in higher education (Dundar, 2024). What this statistic overlooks is how the resilience, determination, and experiences of the millions of successful student parents are reshaping what success looks like in higher education.

A recent study at a Texas community college examined the experiences of successful student parents and found that their persistence is shaped not only by campus resources but also by the strengths they bring to their college journeys (Cook, 2026). Their stories illustrate that parenting, far from being a barrier, often fuels their commitment to achieving their educational goals.

The strength students bring

The study followed 12 successful female student parents, most of whom were first-generation college students. Their experiences reflected the interconnected forms of community cultural wealth described by Yosso (2005), including aspirational, familial, social, navigational, resistant, and linguistic capital. While each student’s path differed, these varied forms of cultural wealth appeared repeatedly throughout their stories.

 Dr. Channell Cook The ways participants spoke about their drive to succeed in college reflected their aspirational capital. Many spoke about their children’s futures as the driving force behind their persistence. One mother shared, “I want my daughter to know that if I can do it, she can do it.” For these students, completing a degree was not just about achieving a personal goal; it meant a better future for their families and the transformative power of education across generations to come.

Familial capital also influenced the success of student parents. For some, children provided daily motivation. Others relied on spouses, extended family members, or chosen family for steady encouragement. Family networks offered transportation, moral support, and childcare when students needed it most. Even when families could not offer direct academic help, their emotional support played a crucial role in helping students persevere.

Social capital emerged through programs that fostered relationships. Students in structured programs, such as nursing, described their classmates as “second families,” who shared college survival tips, supported them through hard times, and organized study sessions where their children played alongside them, enabling simultaneous learning and caregiving. These relationships helped students feel less isolated and more capable of managing the compounded demands of college, work, and parenting.

Navigational capital emerged in the strategies students developed to manage competing responsibilities while navigating the new world of higher education as first-generation students. Many described the importance of planning, communicating with instructors, and being resourceful when challenges arose. As one participant explained, “Kids are unpredictable, so you have to plan everything and stick to it if you want to succeed.”

These student parents also demonstrated resistant capital by pushing back against assumptions about who belongs in college and when they belong there. Several emphasized breaking norms within their families and communities to prove education was possible at any stage of life. Their determination to pursue a degree while raising children challenged deficit-based narratives about student parents succumbing to barriers and established a new baseline for what they could achieve.

Institutional support

While their cultural wealth played a central role in their success, these student parents were clear that institutional support made their progress possible. Childcare assistance emerged as their most essential resource, providing the stability these students needed to focus on their coursework and maintain consistent enrollment. As one mother of four bluntly put it, “There is absolutely no way I could be in college without the childcare assistance program.”

Similarly, basic needs assistance, including the food market, transportation help, and emergency aid, made a significant difference. Students described the relief of knowing they could get food from the campus when their finances were tight. These resources reduced stress and enabled them to continue attending classes even during financial hardships. Participants valued staff who understood the complexities of balancing student and parent roles and appreciated instructors who listened and recognized caregiving responsibilities as legitimate challenges rather than excuses.

A call to action

The evidence suggests that student parents succeed when their strengths are recognized and when colleges provide the infrastructure needed to support their complex lives. To promote success for more student parents, community colleges must prioritize childcare as essential to educational access and ensure that students are aware of available resources before crises arise.

Investments in student supports, such as basic needs programs, not only benefit individual learners but also their families and communities. Colleges can adapt their policies and practices to better support student parents. Student parents must have a seat at the table when institutions design and evaluate support programs. Their experiences make them experts in identifying what works and where gaps persist. By taking steps to identify student parents and listen to their experiences, colleges can design responsive support systems, allocate resources more effectively, and create environments that reflect the realities of today’s learners.

 Dr. Channell Cook serves as division chair of learning frameworks at Lee College and is a recent graduate of Kansas State University’s Community College Leadership Program.

Dr. Cindy Miles is chancellor emerita of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and a professor of practice in educational leadership at Kansas State University’s Community College Leadership Program.

The Roueche Center Forum is co-edited by Drs. John E. Roueche and Margaretta B. Mathis of the John E. Roueche Center for Community College Leadership, Department of Educational Leadership, College of Education, Kansas State University.