This award-winning self-assessment system and guide for improving supports and outcomes for students who are raising children. It is intended for those in higher education—staff, faculty, and students—who want to improve outcomes and conditions for student parents and others. The Toolkit offers a flexible process and set of tools designed to be used in any institution.
To access the Toolkit, you will need to complete a free registration form. This is separate from your SPARK membership, though you can register for both the Toolkit and SPARK to access all the resources on this site.
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The Toolkit can be used to:
The Toolkit is flexible:
➤ Despite being framed for colleges, other types of institutions, including universities, nonprofit organizations, or workforce organizations may use this resource and adapt it to their needs and settings.
➤ You may choose if the Toolkit references "parenting students" or "caregiving students."
➤ You can go at your own pace and complete the sections that work for you!
Toolkit Modules
1. Get Started
We begin with laying the foundation for the work. This includes clarifying your purpose, how this effort aligns with college and state priorities, and establishing a strong team that includes parenting student as co-leaders from the outset.
2. Understand Your Landscape
This module grounds the Task Force in a shared understanding of your college’s current landscape. By identifying what already exists, you can better coordinate efforts, increase visibility, and strengthen support for caregiving students.
3. Gather Data
Learn from your students through a survey, focus groups, and improved strategies for collecting student record data.
4. Engage Your College Community
Review learnings with your college community in order to gain additional insights, ideas for next steps, and increase visibility of the work.
5. Plan for Action
Review what you’ve learned and map out your action plan
6. Make Change
Implement your action plan, ensure sustainability, and spread the word about your work.
7. Library
Access your notes, data that has been filled in forms, and links to many resources and examples of other colleges doing this work