Student parents show resilience
In a small construction company, Cindy Argueta found herself sorting through spreadsheets, receipts and financial transactions to obtain her position as a bookkeeper and accountant. She had worked in the industry for years, but shortly after she gave birth to her youngest son in 2022, Argueta received news from her supervisor that she was being fired.
She took small temp jobs after to support herself and her family. Not long after, Argueta strived to focus on her education as a full-time student to become a positive role model for both of her children. She helps support other student parents through the CalWorks office and tutors at the Center for Academic Success at Pierce College.
“[It’s about] learning to strive to be better, to be a better role model,” Argueta said. “To provide a better life for my children than I experienced myself. So I’m just hopeful, I’m trying.”
Argueta has obtained an associate degree in child development and is currently working toward a psychology degree, in hopes to better the mental health of herself and others. She was given the opportunity to pursue a higher education with the help of the Child Development Center, because she is able to drop off her child while she attends lectures or labs. Argueta’s youngest son, Mathayus, turns 3 years old this June. She shared that her son’s academic performance and social interactions have improved since being in the Child Development Center.
“I used to have him in an infant care, a childcare center near my apartment,” Argueta said. “But the difference [now] is he’s more social. He knows how to engage, he knows how to socialize and has more expansion on his vocabulary. I think that’s because of here.”
Brenda Sanchez is another student parent attending Pierce while raising her child. Sanchez returned to finish her education because she wanted to set a good example for her 4-year-old daughter in the future. She was recommended by her counselor to apply for childcare at the Child Development Center to assist her with managing her class schedule.
Sanchez shared her goal for obtaining her education.
“For my baby, I really want her to step up her game when she’s older,” Sanchez said. “I don’t want her to be like, ‘Oh, just because you didn’t graduate,’ like talk back to me. So I gotta get up there. I’m trying to get my master’s, I want her to be above and beyond.”
Sanchez is finishing her degree in child development to become a special education teacher. Part of what drives her to pursue that career is that she was diagnosed with a rare condition called hydrocephalus as a baby. She struggles with time management the most and goes about her day without a set schedule, as it has worked best for her.
Sanchez described the struggles she faces as a student parent.
“It’s stressful and rewarding, because as a parent, you’re doing this to better the life of the baby,” Sanchez said. “You don’t spend enough time with your kid. You don’t know if they’re okay, like, how did things go at school? It’s just a lot of stuff going on all at once.”
Business major Mary Locsin is a full-time student at Pierce College. She is a mother of two boys, the youngest being 11 years old, and the oldest 21 years old. Locsin said that she is taking business courses for her youngest child, who dreams of opening an ice cream stand where he can serve others. Her youngest child was born with Down Syndrome, and is working with a speech therapist in school. Locsin described him as joyful.
While Locsin continues her academic goals, she also struggles to balance both school and family life.
“It’s mostly the struggle, the pressure and finding time to be with my children,” Locsin said. “So if my special needs child goes to school every day, they bring him and then I have to catch up and study, do some homework and chores and a lot of errands and then go to school at night.”
But Locsin continues to move forward and finds inspiration from her children to pursue her studies. In order for her to balance both worlds, Locsin has family meetings every Sunday to discuss daily schedules for the week. This communication with her husband and children has allowed them to lean on one another. For example, her oldest son tutors her to stay on her academic path and her husband takes care of their youngest while she attends late night classes.
One of the many obstacles student parents face revolves around child care. About 135 colleges in California offer care services to full-time students, including Moorpark College, Pierce College and the University of California, Los Angeles.
The issue lies with the limited number of children who are able to enroll in the Pierce Child Development Center, which is based on the number of staff. At Pierce, there are two sets of classrooms based on age group. For 2-year-olds, there are four children to every one adult, and from the ages 3 to 5 there is room for eight children per adult staff member.
According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, a salary table from 2024 states that full-time early education teachers make a minimum of $45,136 a year, which is equivalent to $23.50 an hour. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that preschool teachers make an average of $37,120 per year or $17.85 an hour, nationally.
Pierce College Child Development Center Director Melissa Brisbois addressed the wage concerns, as they relate to child care.
“One of the problems with being an early childhood education teacher is that in a lot of schools [for] minimum wage they’re getting $18-$20 an hour. Lots of times you can get more if you’re working at McDonalds or at Target,” Brisbois said. “But it’s challenging, right? It’s like, how do we make childcare affordable but pay the people who are taking care of the children.”
Due to this underlying issue, student parents are limited to child care support because there are not enough teachers and staff to provide care for their children. This can lead to increased dropout rates among student parents, who are forced to choose between their education or reliable child care.
Brisbois admires the work she sees from the student parents.
“It’s very empowering when you are doing this for your family, you’re doing this for your children,” Brisbois said. “You’re making those steps forward for the betterment of them and it really helps push you so it’s an inspiration.”
