Online Colleges Benefit Single Mothers

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:38:37 EST

Online college for single moms can bring many benefits. Single mothersenrolled in online college classes and online degree programs mighteven find that the experience ultimately boosts their health and thehealth of their children.

Higher education, according to a report from the ERIC Clearinghouseon Higher Education, has long been linked to the good health ofgraduates and their offspring. And for single moms, college classestaken online can be more easily accessible with an array ofscholarships, grants and other financial aid programs to help pay forthem.

Online college classes and online degree programs don’t have tointerfere with a single mothers’ job or with raising the children. Forsingle moms, college classes taken online can be accomplished when thechildren are at school, asleep, or participating in extracurricularactivities. Online college for single moms also means avoiding expensesinvolved with hiring babysitters, maintaining the car and filling itwith gas, or paying for public transportation.

Women have long outnumbered men in college, and many of these womenalso have work and family responsibilities. For single moms, onlinecollege can help expand horizons and provide interaction with otheradults. Some online college and online degree programs are said toallow single mothers and others to accomplish this via computer andinteractive communities.

For single moms, college courses taken online now can also equate toan improved quality of life in the near future, studies suggest.

A report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy cites thatmore highly educated women are better consumers with greater savings.These women reportedly enjoy more hobbies, leisure activities andquality time with their children, helping to prepare their children fora better future.

Single mothers and others who complete online collegeand obtain an online degree might also find that they’re more easilyable to relinquish “control” and that they’re more open-minded,cultured, rational and consistent, a Carnegie Foundation Reportsuggests.

Ultimately, a single mom’s college degree should open the door to agreater number of jobs, including jobs that pay better and last longer.Most adolescents in low-income families live with single mothers andfathers and with parents who don’t have college degrees, according tothe National Center for Children in Poverty.

U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics from 2007 show that people with bachelor degrees earned amedian $51,324 per year, which was about $20,000 more than theirnon-degree holding high school graduate counterparts.

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Online Colleges Benefit Single Mothers