NPR

Vital Federal Program To Help Parents In College Is 'A Drop In The Bucket'

About 1 in 5 college students in the U.S. are raising kids, and one of their biggest challenges is getting child care. A new proposal in Congress would expand the only federal program that helps.
Source: Nicole Xu for NPR

Between studying for her weekly anatomy and physiology exam, and writing an English paper, Kate Hough somehow finds time for coloring, dress-up parties and putting together four different Halloween costumes (a princess, a cowgirl and two clowns).

Hough is working toward her nursing degree at Mount Wachusett Community College, in central Massachusetts, while raising four kids — two toddlers and two in elementary school.

"Being a student parent is all about balance," Hough says. "It takes a lot, like I don't go to bed until about 2 a.m. every night and then I

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