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Children and Family Programs was recently selected for a Two-Gen Innovation Grant from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning to implement a program supporting first-generation students who are also parents. These students may have a difficult time imagining how to navigate the competing demands of being a student and a parent. Through bootcamps, drop-in sessions, toolkits and a mentoring program, the Student-Parent Ambassador program aims to help them finish their degree in a timely manner.
Allison Garefino, Ph.D., clinical director of Children and Family Programs and research scholar, and her colleague Vanessa Robinson-Dooley, Ph.D., associate professor of social work, conceived of the program because they saw a need in the community.
“Having taught thousands of students over the past ten years, I am never surprised that each semester student-parents approach me for parenting advice once they learn my area of expertise is evidenced-based behavioral interventions for kids,” said Garefino. “The typical things parents do to address challenging behaviors do not work when families are under duress. I quickly realized our student-parents needed more support to navigate their school/life balance.”
A key component of the program is the availability of behavioral parent training. These strategies, taught by Garefino, provide proven methods of promoting social and emotional wellbeing in children. This is particularly important during times of high stress that the family may experience as a result of the parent’s return to school.
The Student-Parent Ambassador program focuses on two groups of Cobb County parents: existing students-parents and community members who are parents and may wish to pursue a degree but think there are too many barriers to accomplish it. The program gives year-round support to these parents that helps with their coursework, connects them with resources, and assists in finding employment and internships.
Another important component of the program is the use of student ambassadors. These ambassadors are parents who have successfully completed the program and can act as mentors to student-parents who are just entering the program. The ambassador program provides a support network of student-parents who can act as role models and mentors. By using student-parent ambassadors we engage parents and incorporate their voices and perspectives in the development of KSU’s desired family-friendly campus. Our participants’ contribution based upon their lived experience co-creates a family-friendly environment.
Participants also receive student-parent friendly toolkits including behavioral parent training support materials, KSU resource materials, diversity and inclusion information, and resource materials from Cobb Collaborative, our partner in the grant.
Bootcamps connect students with the resources available to them. A student-parent bootcamp is held as a breakout from KSU’s normal student orientation covering the resources available at KSU. Cobb Collaborative, our partner in the grant, also hosts bootcamps for caregivers at local childcare centers that help caregivers provide college success resources for the parents of the children in their care. Drop-in bootcamps that provide parents with behavioral parent training, mentorship with student ambassadors, informal needs assessments, and connection with resources are also held.
Darlene Xiomara Rodriguez, Ph.D., MSW, MPA, associate professor of social services from the WellStar College of Health and Human Services, will serve as the diversity scholar for the program. Anne Chance, MHP, a doctoral student in the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development, was instrumental in the submission of the grant and will be Dr. Garefino’s assistant during the program. Karla Ramirez, a student in the MSW program, will be the project graduate research assistant.
If you are interested in the Student-Parent Ambassador program, please email Dr. Garefino at agarefin@kennesaw.edu.
— Article written by Shelly Kiser from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
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