According to the GCC webpage, one in five students who attends the college is parenting a child. GCC offers a bounty of resources and outlets to make parenting a task that is compatible with getting a higher education. 

Financial grants, aid, and scholarships provided on the basis of parenting make up the majority of the resources provided on campus. Alongside the financial assistance, GCC also aims to provide wellness support for the children of the parenting students in need in the form of supplies, food, and clothing. In fact, the GCC Food Pantry is available to all students, not just ones with children.

CalWORKs is another associated resource that can be accessed through the GCC webpage. CalWORKs provides much needed employment opportunities to parents. Through fulfilling CalWORKs requirements, parents are eligible for benefits for an unlimited amount of time.

Students at GCC are often on a tight schedule and with the added responsibility of parenting a child the stress can be overwhelming. Luckily, GCC provides resources for parents who need assistance with the process of parenting itself. Sofiya Nazari, administrative assistant for parent education at GCC, described several classes for parents and their children in a statement. She explained that the classes are offered free of charge and include parent-child bonding activities as well as Pre-K education. Classes are divided by age groups and include a separate class for parents only. In these classes, the students and their children are presented with several subjects such as music, crafts, and storytimes. The classes last for three to four hours depending on the age of the child. The Tuesday night class is dedicated to parent development. In this class, parents get together and discuss their experience with parenting while being a full-time or part-time college student. The topics covered range from separation anxiety to reward and discipline. The class doesn’t only address the struggles of raising a prepubescent child, but also addresses the trials and tribulations of bringing up a teenager with an uncertain environment at home.

On the Garfield campus, students can leave their child at the designated child care facility for the time they are studying. At the child development center, they will partake in engaging and educational activities such as arts, crafts and storytimes. The student development center is partnered with Pacific Clinics Head Start and the California Department of Education to provide easy and affordable daycare services to students.

Tigran Aslanyan can be reached at [email protected].