Balancing classes, work and other duties weighs on every college student’s mind, compelling them to take a day off and sleep in every once in awhile. But some young adults have living, breathing responsibilities that can’t be put aside for a lazy weekend – their children.

After experiencing marital difficulties, non-traditional student Beth Hickey said she decided to take a risk and go back to school this fall. Between caring for her 2- and 4-year-old kids, taking a full course load and keeping house, the 28-year-old said her life requires great time management skills.

“It’s definitely not easy,” she said, raising her voice over the sound of her son calling to her from the bathtub, “but it’s worth it.”

Lindsey Anderson, 25, a transfer student from UW-Stout, is earning her education degree at a slower pace to accommodate other demands in her life. Anderson is married with three children, ages 5, 3 and 1, and said she wouldn’t suggest going to college the way she does.

“It’s been a lot more difficult than it would have been if I went through (college) like normal people,” she said. “There is not a moment of my life that is not busy.”

To accommodate the special needs of student parents, the UW-Eau Claire Children’s Center offers low rates and flexible hours for taking care of children ages infant through five-year-olds, director Becky Wurzer said.

The infant and toddler program meets at an undisclosed location near campus, she said, while the 2 to 5-year-olds have age-divided classrooms in the Campus School. Care for school-age children is available for days the area schools aren’t in session and in the summer, she added.

“One of the good things about the center is we take all those goofy hours,” Wurzer said.

Evening slots are available for night classes, she said, and parents only pay for the times their children are in care, compared to other day care centers, which may require higher, full-time payments.

Subsidized by student fees, the center makes children of Eau Claire students its top priority when accepting applications, Wurzer said. Faculty and staff are second in line, she said, followed by community members, who get whatever hours are left over and pay twice the child care fees.

“It’s the reason I can go back to school,” Anderson said of the center. “They give me child care that is unreal.”

Wurzer said the Children’s Center has a unique teaching staff, with all early education degrees, and 4-year-old kindergarten instruction.

The Eau Claire School District is sponsoring a new early kindergarten program at 22 schools and day care centers in the area, said Paula Wainscott, coordinator of the Eau Claire 4 Tomorrow plan. It’s offered free of charge to the community, she said, and gives children a greater chance for success.

Hickey, an accounting major, said she wants to get her degree for the sake of her young family. The first time she went to school, ten years ago, she said she didn’t appreciate the opportunities she had.

“I’m trying to better myself and what I will someday be able to provide for my children,” Hickey said.

Still, these student mothers agreed that the unexpected always occurs when kids are in the picture.

“There’s always something that comes up,” Anderson said.

If one of her kids wakes up vomiting, for example, she said it is not possible to go to class that day. Some professors are understanding, she added, while others aren’t as accommodating.

“You just do what you have to do,” Anderson said.

Hickey said she must work her classes around her 5-year-old daughter’s school schedule, and can only study at night when her children are sleeping.

“I make sure that I spend as much time with (my kids) as possible,” said Anderson, who also completes her studies late at night.
Completing group assignments, which often requires meeting outside of class, is a major concern, Hickey said. Wurzer believes meeting evening demands is a major concern for student parents, who must often be home with their families at that time.

“It’s really a hard balance,” she said. “I really admire these single parents going back to school.”