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Single moms look to college
degree for future security
By
Michael J. Weigel
Insight Reporter
Amy Zagar holds her two-year
old son Seay close, as he pleads with her to stay. She reluctantly
pulls away from his clinging body. He clutches his blanky, and
finally one of his daycare teachers takes his hand, leading inside
with the other children. Slowly driving away, Zagar wonders if she
really is doing the right thing, leaving her son in daycare while
she goes to earn her college degree. She said she thinks to
herself, “This is going to be better in the long run.”
Zagar, 21, from Minocqua, is not alone in her plight as a single
parent. According the U.S. Census Bureau, the national average of
single mothers was 18.4 percent in the 2000 census. In the
tri-county area of Wood, Marathon and Clark counties the number of
single mothers (divorced, separated or widowed) is 4.7 percent.
Zagar had 14 credits in her first semester at UW-Marshfield/Wood
County and is active as a Freshmen Executive, member of
Collegium’s Committee, SPAVAC and Farrago. She admits the pace of
school sometimes feels overwhelming, but she believes her
education is the ticket to a better life for both herself and her
child.
Like Zagar, Deeann Hertel, 21, is also a single mother with a
two-and-half year old son, Noah. She said education is a
prerequisite for a meaningful career and to provide for her
child’s future. Hertel is in her third year of study at the
Marshfield campus and plans to move to Madison to finish her
degree in pharmacology in the fall of 2003.
Both Zagar and Hertel have work-study jobs on campus. While Zagar
works ten hours a week in the Fitness Center, Hertel spends
eight-to-ten hours a week in the biology and science labs working
for Professor Tom Marty and Professor Laura Lee. Additionally she
works eight to ten hours a week as a personal assistant for an
elderly Marshfield woman.
However, the cost of daycare, housing, insurance and food can add
up to be several times more than what a work-study job can
provide. Even child support, which Zagar and Hertel receive from
the fathers of their sons, falls short of the monthly bills.
Zagar said through networking with friends she was guided to Wood
County Social Services. Through Social Services, Zagar was able to
find housing, medical and daycare assistance among the many
low-cost programs offered through the state agency. “These
programs aren’t really publicized. You have to do some digging to
find out what’s available,” she said.
Joan Burt, director of the Family Self Sufficiency program at
Community Development Authority, worked with Hertel to find
housing while she was pregnant with her son. Burt said the purpose
of the program is not just provide low-cost housing subsidies for
applicants, but to get them to think about their future and how to
make themselves self-reliant. Like all women enrolled in the
program, Hertel was required to draft a five-year goal plan.
Hertel feels she is surpassing her outlined goals and looks
forward to continuing her education. “The lowest grade I’ve gotten
in three years of school is a B,” said Hertel.
Daycare is an issue for all working parents with young children,
and within the UW System financial assistance is available.
Students can apply for daycare subsidies on campus. According to
Wendy Bautch, financial specialist in the Business Office, the
programs appeals to all students with daycare age children. The
program is based on the number of credits a student has taken and
divided by the number of students applying for reimbursement, said
Bautch. Whether an institution or a family member is being paid to
look after the child, the program is inclusive of all forms of
daycare and all are eligible to receive reimbursement. Seven
students have taken advantage of the program this semester.
Zagar wishes she could spend more time with her son, but
frequently that time becomes secondary to class assignments,
deadlines and tests. “It seems like the only relaxation I get is
when I sleep,” she said. Hertel said she is very fortunate to have
a supportive family who will take her son on Saturday nights so
she can “have time to be a 21-year-old.” Hertel said she also
attended a group meeting at the Marshfield Clinic for single
parents called the “Healthy Birth Program.” The group focuses on
issues of daily life and becoming a better parent.
Other community-based organization such as the Family Resource
Center (FRC) helps parents by offering play groups, free classes
and information. “We try to help parents make good choices for
their children,” said FRC Manager April Thomas. She believes that
parents ought to allow time for themselves. Thomas recommends that
students develop a network of friends they can trust with their
children so they can have time to themselves to study or have a
night out.
Both Zagar and Hertel believe they have made the right choice to
raise their children and feel they are capable of doing so while
going to college.
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