College is an exciting time for students, but it can also be a time of anxiety, planning, and late nights as you obtain your degree and take care of your family. This blog is designed to offer awesome advice, resources for student parents, and share student parent stories. So, don’t panic: we got you covered. (Who is we?)
Have you seen this magnificent website for student parents? Oh, you have not?
Here it is: Parenting@UNC (https://womenscenter.unc.edu/resources/parenting/). This newly redesigned website will give you information about navigating Carolina as a student parent. To get you started, here are the top 5 things student parents should know while at UNC.
- P2P Accessibility Service: If you are in your last month of pregnancy or experiencing a high risk pregnancy, you can obtain a P2P pass from Campus Health. This will allow you to have the P2P pick you up and drop you off from anywhere on campus. You can call 919-962-3951 for more information or visit the parenting website to find the application. One thing to note is that the P2P can only take you to and from campus locations. You can also receive a temporary disability parking pass under the same qualifications for the P2P Pass. You will need to have a physician fill out the form, and the pass can only be used for less than six months. For most cases, the temporary passes will be assigned to the Bowles (S11) lot on Manning Dr. For more information and to download the application, go here.
- Loans for Daycare: If you have any daycare fees, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid can extend your financial aid package to include daycare fees. Please note, these funds are given in the form of loans, and you need to provide proof of daycare fees. You can find more information on that cool new website aforementioned in the post.
- Students for Life Scholarship: Students for Life offers $500 scholarships from their Parenting Student Association Funds. Applications are available from the organization or at the Carolina Women’s Center.
- Bring Your Children to the Library: Student parents, you can bring your kid to the libraries. They are family friendly and also breastfeeding friendly.
- The libraries have designated group study rooms— aka a quiet and semi-private study space where you can study while your kids can run in circles. These rooms can be reserved online through the library websites or checked out at the front desk. The Library has a “Place to Study” website to find the rooms with great furniture.
- The School of Library Science has a library filled with children’s books available for check-out with a OneCard in Manning Hall. If you cannot find the School of Library Science, you can reserve the books to be delivered to other libraries through Carolina Blue delivery service. They also have reading spaces for children.
- Emergency Fund: If you are ever in a financial emergency, Dean of Students offers help to students who are in need due to unexpected crisis situations. Visit this cool website to find out eligibility requirements and the application.