Parent and Family Program connects student-parents to resources, community, and support as they balance school and caregiving.
Andrya Beverly was first accepted to Cal State Dominguez Hills in Fall 2015, just after becoming a parent. She chose not to enroll because she felt overwhelmed by the limited financial aid available to her and the new responsibilities of parenthood.
“I realized I couldn’t stay on campus, maintain my household and the bills that I had,” Beverly said. “I took time off, grew a little bit in my career, and worked to a place where not only I can come back to school but pay for it out of pocket as well.”
Beverly is one of an estimated 300,000 student-parents in the state, according to the California Alliance for Student Parent Success.
Established in 2023, the Parent and Family Program aims to support pregnant and parenting Toros. Parent and Family Coordinator Lorena De La Cruz told The Bulletin that many of these students face significant financial, academic, and personal challenges as they balance school with outside commitments and parental responsibilities.
“Our goal is to alleviate those pressures by connecting them to supportive networks and resources,” De La Cruz said. “We want them to know that they are part of a community that understands their journey and [is] invested in their success.”
The program shares resources with student-parents and hosts a variety of events tailored to their needs. Many of these events are offered in partnership with other campus programs, clubs, and departments.
“Our programming focuses on connection and visibility, helping parenting students [know] that they are not alone and that CSUDH is here to support them,” De La Cruz said. “We also share resources, promote family-friendly spaces, and ensure that parenting students are included in broader conversations about student success and well-being.”
De La Cruz explained that there are an estimated 1,400 student-parents at CSUDH. That tally is based on the number of students who fall under Assembly Bill 2881, which requires community colleges and California State Universities to grant priority registration to students with dependents as of July 1, 2023.
At the moment, the university has no formal system to reliably collect data on its student-parent population, but De La Cruz said she is working toward creating one alongside advocates. “If we don’t know them, how can we serve them?”
She continued: “We continue to raise awareness of this underrepresented community and advocate for better ways to collect data so we can effectively push for resources and services that support parenting students.”
Toro alumni share advice and experiences
On Nov. 21, the Parent and Family Program, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), and Public Health Toros Association hosted “Parenting Toros: Journeys of Resilience and Growth,” a panel that encouraged student-parents to connect and hear alumni share both their struggles and successes.
Robert Cunningham is the student services coordinator for ASI’s Child Development Center. For student-parents with dependents enrolled in the center, he serves as their liaison to on- and off-campus resources. He and De La Cruz have worked together on programming for student-parents in the past.
“I don’t want the parents to feel that there is no one going to help them,” he said. “I don’t want them to feel that I, the [Child Development Center], or the campus doesn’t care about them,” Cunningham explained. “There’s resources everywhere we look, I do my best to make sure they know about them.”
Around 30 people attended the event, including Chauncy Williams, a healthcare management and psychology student who is a mother of two. Williams, who moderated the alumni panel, told The Bulletin that hearing about others’ experiences made her excited for the future.
Panelists shared stories of the people who supported them throughout their college journeys. They emphasized the importance of time management, seeking help when needed, and making use of available resources.
“I was very proud, very impressed with their bios from the beginning,” said Williams, vice president for the Public Health Toros Association. “It really is a foreshadow of what’s to come.”
Charmaine Lyons, a Toro alumni who first graduated CSUDH in 2021, received her master’s in education from the university in 2023.
Lyons, who currently works as a preschool teacher for Los Angeles Unified, said becoming pregnant with her twins influenced her to shift her focus away from her original interest in criminal justice and pursue a new career path.
“What career can I do being a single parent and try to be both a full-time parent and employee?” Lyons said she asked herself. “That’s when I made the decision to change to education and pretty much wrap my entire life around students, and also having that time off. There’s nothing like a summer off with the kids.”
Brittany Bell, founder and CEO of The Consulting Queen, an LA-based publicity and marketing firm, recalled being pregnant with her first child at 21. Bell said many of her friends distanced themselves from her, as if she had become an example of what not to do. One of Bell’s relatives also told her she would never finish school with a baby on the way.
“It stuck with me so deep. My child is now 14, and the narrative of just because you decided to bring life to the world, your life is supposed to stop?” Bell said. “As women, unfortunately, we are supposed to put everything on hold until birth and bear the child, do all the house things, and that’s not true.”
Williams, the moderator, asked panelists whether there were moments when they considered quitting or taking a break. Alumni shared that they feared quitting, and the possibility of regret kept them moving forward; others mentioned the importance of prayer or therapy.
Arlene Rojas, who graduated in 2018 with a degree in child development, said student-parents shouldn’t feel guilty about treating themselves once in a while. She encouraged student-parents to ask for help whenever necessary.
“There were times I felt when there was no need to study or didn’t have homework, there was no reason for someone to take care of my baby,” Rojas explained. “So to know that I can leave for a bit, get some alone time, prayer, self-reflect, that’s what’s important.”
Alyssa Ellison, who graduated in 2025 with a degree in marketing and advertising, echoed Rojas, reminding attendees that “closed mouths don’t get fed.”
“Be the first one to reach out, tell them you need support, whichever that looks like to you,” Ellison encouraged. “It’s okay—everyone learns and gets through things differently, so provide that knowledge to those who can help you.”
Andrya Beverly, who put a pause on her education a decade ago to raise her child, attended the alumni panel last month as a junior in healthcare management. She said her professors have been strong supporters and that Dominguez Hills offers solid resources for student-parents, though finding the time to use them remains a challenge.
Beverly said: “[The panel] showed me that we are not alone. I don’t want to use the cliché of being a parent because there’s multiple parents on campus, and they did an excellent job in showing us that there is an end goal.”