Single mothers are in a hard place. It is a widely accepted, broadly acknowledged truth, that mothers raising children without fathers is the toughest task a healthy woman can face. In order to make money to feed her children and pay the bills, a single mother often has to find a daycare for their children during the workday. Not only does that add to her expenses, negating a portion of her income, but it also limits the hours she can work each day. Because of the difficulty of the situation, financial assistance for single mothers is commonly the only way women can survive while raising children.
The challenge of securing all the necessary financial assistance though, can be a full time job in its own right. Working with state employees, caseworkers, children’s specialists and assistance forms that scream confusion is tiresome and can feel fruitless. Single mothers find themselves wishing they could get assistance on getting assistance. Education on how to receive grants, loans, and other financial help for single mothers is so important for women in tough situations and it is hard to find.
The first order of business for a single mother is to apply for WIC (Woman, Infants and Children). It is a government instituted program aimed at supplying financially in need mothers and their children under five, with nutritional essentials such as milk, cheese and eggs. Eligible women are quickly approved and this can help put food on the table quickly.
The second concern to address is signing up for CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program). Every state in the US offers CHIP and it covers children of families who cannot afford health insurance on their own. The coverage rarely even requires mothers to submit co pays and offers total: dental, vision and health care. Once nutritional and health concerns are cared for, the single mother can attend to other pressing needs.
Both CHIP and WIC are easy to apply for online and quickly be approved for those that qualify. Other assistance can take more persistence, but the rewards are worth the effort. Single mother scholarships might seem counterintuitive when a mom is struggling to make ends meet and feed her children, but when she is forced to raise kids on her own, the best long-term solution—for both parties concerned—is for her to receive education that enables her to enjoy a meaningful, specialized career.
Scholarships for single mothers are often awarded with enough money to cover the cost of living, classes, books and other daily needs. Most of these awards are given out based on need, and require an entrant to write an essay about a certain topic. The reason so few single mothers pursue this route is that few understand the method for writing the essays and what the judges are reading for. Getting training in how to write an essay to qualify for a scholarship should practically be a college course in its own right.
However, if a woman researches enough she can earn scholarships for single moms that will change the course of her life. Even a two-year Associate’s degree can turn the tide for a mother, giving her the opportunity to raise her children, be present in their lives, pay the bills and enjoy a fulfilling career. Often times, the shock of having to parent all alone can be paralyzing. Women in this situation should utilize financial assistance for single mothers. The same state workers who help guide mothers through the paperwork for WIC and CHIP might be able to offer helpful leads for women to pursue in order to find help applying and writing for scholarships.
29. March 2011 at 1:35 am
Hi i would like to find out how i go about getting the single mother scholarship i can afford to study as i am trying to support my three kids and dont get a big enough salary.
Thank you