Online Calculator | Money Out There For Single Parents To Finish College

Money Out There For Single Parents To Finish College

The U.S. Census reports one sixth of all single parents are men. While that is nowhere near the quantity of single mothers trying to raise their children and keep a job at the same time, that doesn’t mean these dedicated dads should be ignored either. These men can use their share of assistance, too, and this includes continuing their education.

 

After all, these fathers have undoubtedly caught the ads stating President Obama is helping single mothers with grants and scholarships, and the Bureau of Labor Statistic has numerous reports showing the greater a person’s education the more they can earn. Undoubtedly men raising their children wonder if they can have that too. As it happens, they can. Just like single mothers, single dads have federal Pell grant geared towards their needs. This not only can include covering tuition, fees and text books, but even financial assistance for child care or child sitting, food and even, in extreme cases, rent and utilities.

 

To start, the first thing a dad on his own should do is weigh his job position. If he is unemployed, what kind of job would he like? If he’s already employed, what kind of degree would he need to improve his career? Once those decisions are made, the next step it to search for local community or online colleges that offer the right certification or degree programs. Make a short list of schools, at least three.

 

Parents of both genders should make a list of the appropriate institutions, preferably around a half-dozen. Now they should contact these schools. They should have an actual conversation with academic counselors about their needs and what the school can help them with. This should include financial assistance.

 

One thing all single parents must all do is fill out a FASFA form so their exact need can be determined. This very important piece of paperwork is absolutely essential for when you are ready to apply for your degree. Many other programs also require it. All should talk to their jobs to see if they provide any form of continued education benefits. Finally, Social Services should not be ignored, as they could potentially help on rent, food and childcare.

 

This is just the beginning, though. With or without the college counselor, the prospective student should definitely get on the Internet for an established search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo! Just by typing the search parameters “grants, single father,” will yield literally hundreds of thousands of other prospects. Each will have its own criteria and more paper work, but apply to enough of them and a dad could end up with his entire costs covered.

 

What’s really important here is in the long run, the education provided by their student loans and grants that enable a dedicated parent to improve his (or her) position. With an online degree, the one that makes the most sense for that busy dad, he ends up assisting himself and his children. Whatever else you want to call it, that’s good parenting regardless of gender.

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