Eleanor Foundation | Partner Perspective: Educating Mothers Helps Break the Cycle of Poverty

A network of resources to support economic self-sufficiency

Why Build the Eleanor Network?

We know that women's needs and opportunities go beyond the capacity and experience of any single organization. That's why we work closely with our grantee partners to restructure programs that will better meet working women's needs, including the need for easy access to where they live or work. We also partner with like-minded investors to combine their resources with our strategic grants to expand the economic potential of working women.

Partner Perspective: Overcoming Barriers, Investing in Talent

Educating mothers helps break the cycle of poverty

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July 14, 2009

Anne Ladky
Executive Director, Women Employed

The Eleanor Foundation's research makes a vital case for investing in single mothers, so they can thrive economically and provide for their children. The new study rightly urges the country to stop ignoring—or demonizing—these mothers and to focus instead on how to develop their capacities and talents as essential to everyone's future. It points to educational advancement as a key area for investment, underscoring several important facts: that post-secondary education is a proven strategy for raising women's incomes; that such education is essential for most good jobs in today's labor market; and that children's achievement is strongly linked to the mother's education. Educating mothers helps to break the cycle of poverty.

Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers to greater educational attainment facing single mothers. They need help to enter and persist in the post-secondary training that would help them earn higher wages in more stable jobs. Women Employed works on what we believe are the three most important areas for investment: tuition assistance; support services such as child care, counseling, and career planning; and improvements in program quality to build stronger connections between education and training programs and good jobs.

"Even in a state with a good financial aid system, too few dollars have been allocated to meet the need, so thousands of lower-income working adult students, including single mothers, cannot enroll in college."

Even in a state with a good financial aid system, too few dollars have been allocated to meet the need, so thousands of lower-income working adult students, including single mothers, cannot enroll in college. Women Employed is working with state and federal policymakers to increase tuition aid, but the current budget crisis makes this an uphill fight.

Support services are especially vital to single mothers, who must deal with the demands of work, school, and children without help from another parent. Many need child care for the hours that they're in school, yet too few subsidies or on-site child care facilities are available. Academic and career counseling are other important needs. In collaboration with over a dozen community colleges in Illinois, Women Employed is developing and promoting effective student support practices to enhance student retention. Again, more resources are needed.

Finally, the education and training providers must eliminate bureaucratic barriers, adopt more flexible approaches, and create a better climate for the success of single mothers who want and need their programs to obtain better jobs. Women Employed, community colleges, community-based training providers, foundations, and other groups in Illinois are partnering to promote policies and programs that create strong career pathways, leading to better employment outcomes and further education.

We applaud the Eleanor Foundation for making clear that these and other investments in the economic advancement of single mother—as well as a change in public attitudes—are not only essential to their families' well-being, but to the health and stability of all our communities.

Why Build the Eleanor Network?

Partner Perspective: Overcoming Barriers, Investing in Talent

Educating mothers helps break the cycle of poverty

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