Q&A: The Student Parent Opportunity Assessment in Action

As part of its ongoing work to support the one in five community college students who are parents, in 2023 Achieving the Dream began conducting Student Parent Opportunity Assessments. With funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ATD worked with an inaugural cohort of four colleges to help them better understand their student parent populations and devise strategies to address unmet needs.

Thanks to additional funding from ECMC Foundation, this assessment has extended to a three-year engagement with each college — and a renewed grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation means we have been able to conduct the opportunity assessment with a second cohort and are able to offer continued engagement with this cohort.

Karen Acevedo, associate vice president of strategy and transformation at Florida State College at Jacksonville, an ATD Leader College, recently presented at DREAM 2025 about her institution’s work with ATD to increase success for parenting students. She also talked to ATD about how the Student Parent Opportunity Assessment, specifically, has affected the college’s work, the insights leaders have gained, and the results they are already seeing for their students.

Q&A With Karen Acevedo

Q: You were part of the first cohort of ATD’s Student Parent Opportunity Assessment. What did you know about your student parent population before the assessment, and what insights did you hope to gain in the process?

A: Leading into our initial work with ATD as part of the Student Parent Opportunity Assessment cohort, we had a firm foundation in place of providing parenting students with child care access and financial support. We also offered a wide array of academic and nonacademic resources to students. However, the findings of the assessment helped us discover that the resources in place were not specifically designed to meet the unique needs of our parenting students. As a result, we hoped to gain insight into the needs of our parenting student population by first identifying who they were, then determining what resources and supports they need through the use of surveys and focus groups, and finally identifying gaps and potential partnerships to build a more robust support system for parenting students.

Q: What did you and your team learn through this assessment? Did anything surprise you?

A: The Student Parent Opportunity Assessment report provided valuable insights and actionable recommendations to support parenting students at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ). One key takeaway was the consistent recognition by faculty, staff, and administrators of the strengths parenting students bring to our community. These students are viewed as focused, driven, and highly motivated. However, the assessment also revealed inconsistencies across our campuses and centers regarding the understanding of policies and training related to family-friendly spaces and parenting student supports and resources.

One surprising finding was that parenting student data was only collected through the FAFSA. This limited method of identification does not capture all parenting students, resulting in gaps in understanding and service delivery. Additionally, we learned that FSCJ’s parenting student population is nearly twice the size of comparable colleges, highlighting a significant and previously underrecognized segment of our student body.

Q: What steps has the college taken since then to support student parents?

A: In response to the assessment’s findings, and with the guidance of our coaches, FSCJ has developed an action plan to support parenting students in a more holistic and intentional manner.

A critical first step has been partnering with the college’s data stewards to improve the identification of parenting students. This allows us to deliver targeted resources and communication to better meet their needs. As part of the Fall 2024 Student Climate Survey, we invited parenting students to volunteer for a focus group. The response was overwhelming — over 300 students expressed interest. Several focus group sessions were conducted to explore what resources parenting students are aware of, who they turn to for support, and what additional resources are needed. These conversations are helping us conduct a gap analysis and better align our services with what students value and prioritize.

Additionally, FSCJ was recently awarded the Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) Innovation Grant, which will be used to create family-friendly kits for children accompanying parents to our Library and Learning Commons (LLC) locations. The kits are designed to provide age-appropriate educational and engaging materials:

• Ages 1–3: LEGO Duplo building sets, a busy board with Velcro attachments, Montessori wooden stacking toys, and board books
• Ages 4–7: Connect-the-dots activity books, crayons, a doodle board with a stylus, magnetic blocks, and age-appropriate books
• Ages 8–11: Kanoodle (a 3D brain teaser puzzle), Highlights hidden picture puzzles, colored pencils, My Weird School chapter books, and a tablet for interactive learning

These kits will create a welcoming, family-centered environment, allowing parenting students to focus on their studies while ensuring their children are engaged and supported.

Q: What results have you seen thus far?

A: While it is still too early to report comprehensive data on term-to-term persistence, we have already seen encouraging institutional progress. There is college-wide buy-in for collecting and analyzing data to better understand and serve parenting students. This collective focus is fostering discussions around policies, resources, and communication strategies to identify and address potential barriers proactively. The targeted communication efforts have resulted in an increase in awareness and utilization of resources and supports available to parenting students.

Through these conversations, we are working to ensure parenting students receive the appropriate wraparound support, making FSCJ a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students.

Q: Why would you recommend the Student Parent Opportunity Assessment to other college leaders?

A: The assessment provides a comprehensive, data-informed framework for understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by parenting students. The results of the assessment are multifaceted and will inform decision-making through the collection of qualitative and quantitative data, driving actionable recommendations for change that are scalable and sustainable. Once changes are implemented, not only will student success improve, but the institutional culture will also be strengthened due to collaboration between departments and partnerships with external stakeholders.

The assessment also encourages ongoing continuous improvement, allowing institutions to adapt as student needs evolve. For any college seeking to provide holistic, equitable support for parenting students, this assessment is an invaluable tool for driving meaningful, long-lasting change.