Online college can help single mothers in many ways, and obtaining an online degree can be as good for the health as it is the pocketbook.

Higher education, according to a report from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, has long been linked to the good health of graduates and their offspring. And for single moms, college classes taken online can be more easily accessible with an array of scholarships, grants and other online grants to help pay for them.



Online college classes and online degree programs don’t have to interfere with a single mothers’ job or with raising the children. For single moms, college classes taken online can be accomplished when the children are at school, asleep, or participating in extracurricular activities. Online college for single moms also means avoiding expenses involved with hiring babysitters, maintaining the car and filling it with gas, or paying for public transportation.

Women have long outnumbered men in college, and many of these women also have work and family responsibilities. For single moms, online college can help expand horizons and provide interaction with other adults. Some online college and student loans and grants are said to allow single mothers and others to accomplish this via computer and interactive communities.

Online college for single moms can also improve their quality of life and the quality of life for children as well, studies suggest.

More highly educated women have a tendency to ready their children for the future while sharing more time with them, according to reports. Those who graduate college also tend to be better consumers and have more savings, hobbies and leisure activities, according to the Institute for Higher Education Policy. A Carnegie Foundation Report on the completion of higher education in general suggests that single mothers and others who complete online college can be less authoritative and more open-minded, cultured, rational and consistent.

Ultimately, a single mom’s college degree should open the door to a greater number of jobs, including jobs that pay better and last longer. Most adolescents in low-income families live with single mothers and fathers and with parents who don’t have college degrees, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2007 show that people with bachelor degrees earned a median $51,324 per year, which was about $20,000 more than their non-degree holding high school graduate counterparts.

Non-profit organizations, civic groups, federal and state governments and colleges, universities and trade schools can make financial aid opportunities available for online college classes and online degree programs. Some financial aid assistance programs are designed specifically for grants for single moms’ college education.

Advancing one’s education is never supposed to be easy. Getting a college education is supposed to involve challenge. There’s no need for a four-year degree in basket weaving. At the same time, trying to get a 2- or 4- year degree and being a single mom is a whole other story. When it comes to keeping an eye on the kids or getting one’s studies done, the kids usually win.

Well, online colleges do help lighten the load there. They provide a series of benefits not provided for by going on campus. Among the many benefits of getting a degree online are:

First and foremost, an online mom can study from home. Simply register, take the course load and eventually graduate from the comfort of home with the help of online scholarships. You are always nearby when your child scrapes his/her knee, needs to be fed or put to bed, or even needs help with his/her homework.

Set your own pace. If the kids are so young that they need more supervision than their elder siblings or friends, you can decrease the workload to suit that pace. Many programs allow for part-time students. It may take a little longer before you get that online degree, but real life, aka raising your kids, still set the pace. This way you can match it.

If that isn’t enough, financial aid is available. Not just tuition and fees, but also things like rent, food and clothing. Sites list such aid as: Teacher Education Assistance, Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant, National SMART Grant, Institutional Grants, Campus Based Aid (FSEOG, FWS, Perkins Loans); Stafford Loans (FEFL, Direct Loan), Plus Loans just for starters.

Cut commuting. You save not only time, but cost, by not having to commute. By studying at home instead of going back and forth from home to work to campus, you cut the costs by approximately one third. That’s more time to both study and look after the kids.

A good place to start is a site like Single Moms. Learn both the advantages and obstacles that are coming. Pick up tips on the kind of degree you want to pursue, which schools offer them and help on getting financial aid. From there, phone and call the school. Try to get in touch with registration and officers to help you with online degree grant, if only to see what you can get.

The important point is to do some homework before you decide to study from home. With the help of single mothers grants and financial aid these goals are easier to accomplish than ever. Before you know it, the kids will grow up and before you can say “empty nest syndrome” you are well on your way with a new, degreed, career.

Mothers are known multi-taskers. It seems they can juggle anything; kids, a career, housework. Now many moms, single or married, are adding college courses to the mix. For these multi-tasking moms, seeking an online degree and grants online may save time and money.

The flexibility of online college is what attracts many students. Since online schools don’t require a certain number of classes per semester, students can go at their own pace. For a working mother that could mean attending class during a work break and doing their homework with their kids.

The New Jersey Department of Labor offered a program for working mothers to boost their education and skills online. A Rutgers University report on the program found that the women who finished school raised their annual pay by an average of 14%. The women said if the courses were not available at home, they could not have done it.

The census report found there are more than 10 million single mothers in the United States. Only 16% of those single moms have college degrees and 78% earn less than $30,000 a year. Based on those numbers, you can see having a job does not guarantee financial stability. According to the US Department of Labor, the poverty rate for single working mother households is 21%. That’s more than double the rate of families headed by men and four times the rate of married couples with children. That may be why more people are looking for ways to increase their job qualifications.

Three online universities have partnered to grant scholarships to working moms. American Intercontinental University, DeVry University and Walden University began a campaign called, “Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work”. The program grants at least $2 million in full-ride a href=”http://www.squidoo.com/grant-online/”>online college grants.

There are other ways to pay for college once you enroll. The Federal Government offers millions of dollars in grants for college. Securing a Pell grant could land you more than $2,000 per school year. A Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, FSEOG, provides up to $4,000 a year to undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. There are also state grants and private scholarships.

If you are planning to attend an online college or university it pays to do your research. Books can be a huge expense, so look into buying them used over the Internet, instead of in a bookstore. Check out whether your online school offers tuition breaks for referrals. Recommending your school to a friend could save you a few bucks. The American Council on Education evaluates military and employee training for use as possible college credit. Also some schools allow students to test out of classes required for your degree. You may be able to get college credit for training or classes you’ve already completed.

Time and money don’t have to be excuses for not furthering your education. Going to school online can get you a degree on your timetable. There are many ways to pay for it, just research grants for single mothers and scholarships. A simple Internet search could be the first step to improving your career and your family life.