A career-launch program designed for student parents
Earning a degree while parenting is one of the hardest things you can take on, and you're doing it. The questions that come next are harder to think through alone:
Are you clear about the career you want after graduation, and how to get there? Do you have the experience, the network and the support to land that career when
you graduate?
If those questions are hard to answer right now, that's not because you've fallen behind. It's because the way most students build career experience and a professional network wasn't built for the lives most student parents lead. Unpaid internships, weeknight networking events, coffee meetings with people you somehow already know: none of it accounts for the time and money most parents don't have.
The Student Parent Empowerment Program, generously supported by the ECMC Foundation, helps you make room for the experiences that set you up to launch a career after graduation. It offers a compensated internship that fits your life. It includes a kickoff weekend designed to build your skills and professional network. It flexes around your class schedule, your work shifts and your child's needs instead of competing with them.
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Two things separate
a degree from a career
Fifty years of working with college students has taught us what most determines whether a graduate lands a job in their field: hands-on work experience in that field, and a network of peers and professionals who can vouch for them. NACE's 2026 Job Outlook survey ranks internship experience as the most valuable credential on a résumé, ahead of GPA, school attended and major. Paid interns also earn a median starting salary $20,000 higher than peers without internship experience.
Both are typically built outside the classroom and typically in ways that assume student parents aren't in the room. This program changes that in three specific ways.
A compensated
micro-internship that builds the experience employers hire for
Part-time, project-based work with a vetted employer in your field. Most are fully remote with very flexible scheduling. You'll work on a project tied to your major and career goals, and you'll leave with specific experience and skills you can point to in interviews.
A funded weekend that opens a professional network
Three days in Washington, D.C. with housing and a stipend for childcare back home covered. You'll spend the weekend gaining skills and connecting with employers and other student parents from across the country. That's the kind of network most student parents never have the chance to build.
One-on-one coaching that turns goals into a career strategy
You'll work with a dedicated career advisor throughout the program. Coaching is virtual and flexes around your class schedule, caregiving and work shifts. Your advisor will help you name the career you want, identify the skills employers in that field hire for, and develop a plan to get from where you are now to where you want to be. At participating schools, you'll also have the chance to be matched with a mentor.
Why this team, why this program
The Washington Center (TWC) has spent more than five decades helping college students turn their degrees into careers. We know what works for students who are balancing school with everything else, because they're the students we work with every year.
Students leave knowing where they're going
Fewer than half of TWC participants enter our programs with a clear sense of their career direction. By the time they finish, almost 90% can name the path ahead of them. The combination of paid, structured experience and one-on-one coaching is what produces that shift.
Programs are designed for the lives our students lead
More than half of recent TWC participants worked full- or part-time during their program. We design programs to fit around classes, jobs and families instead of competing with them.
The network outlasts the program
More than 70,000 TWC alumni work in every field and industry, and they actively support the students who come after them. When you finish this program, that network is yours for life.
This program was built
with your school, for you
If you're a student parent at Miami Dade College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro or Hinds Community College, this program is for you.
We partnered with these three institutions because their leaders understand what you're up against, and they're invested in making sure you don't just graduate, but launch a career that can change what's possible for your whole family.
If any of this sounds like you, this program was designed with you in mind:
I can't afford an unpaid internship. But I also can't get a job in my field without one.
I'm doing this for my kids, but every program I find acts like I'm a college student with nothing else going on.
Our micro-internships are paid, flexible and short. You'll leave with the experience, the paycheck and a portfolio you can point to in your next interview.
This program centers parenting students from day one.
Nobody in my family went to college. I don't know who to ask about any of this.
You're not alone; 48% of student parents are first-gen. You’ll have a career advisor working alongside you and a peer network of student parents right on your campus. At TWC, we work with first-generation students every day to center their skill-building and grow their networks.
Eligibility Requirements:
To join the Student Parent Empowerment Program, you must:
Be an undergraduate student at Miami Dade College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro or Hinds Community College
Be actively enrolled in at least one credit-bearing undergraduate course (or 3 credit hours) throughout the program
Be actively raising at least one child or dependent for whom you have primary financial or caregiving responsibility
All majors and fields of study are welcome, and there is no GPA cutoff or age restriction.
Here's what to expect
A program built on transparent milestones, so you always know what's coming, what's expected and how far you've come.
2026
Early application deadline
July
17
Admissions notifications will be sent on a rolling basis, beginning mid-summer.
2026
Regular application deadline
Sep
4
Admissions notifications will be sent on a rolling basis.
2026
Pre-program advising and
skill assessment
Aug – Sep
Before the program officially begins, you'll meet one-on-one and in small groups with an advisor to identify your strengths, explore career paths that lead to higher-paying jobs and pinpoint the skills needed to get there.
2026
Skill-building weekend in Washington, D.C.
Oct
8–11
Spend a weekend in Washington, D.C. with housing and a stipend for childcare back home. You'll sharpen career-ready skills, connect with employers and mentors, explore career paths you may not have considered and build relationships with other student parents across the country.
2027
Micro-internship and job shadowing
Jan – June
Complete a compensated micro-internship with a vetted employer in your field. Most are fully remote with very flexible scheduling. You'll work on a project tied to your major and career goals, and you'll leave with specific experience and skills you can point to in interviews.
Support every step of the way.
Throughout the program, you'll meet regularly with a career advisor to clarify your path and develop the strategy and skills needed to get there.
You’ll also get plugged in with other student parents on your campus — the kind of community that knows why you're messaging at 11:00 p.m. about shared childcare, job leads or a commuting need.
And when the program ends, the support doesn't. You'll have six months of post-program career advising and a permanent spot in the TWC alumni community, which keeps the mentors, networks and opportunities coming long after graduation.
Apply Today
Applications are now open! Apply today. It's free and no documents are required.
Questions?
Contact us at info@twc.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the program cost?
Programming is funded for all participants. In addition, your micro-internship is compensated and housing for the D.C. skill-building weekend is covered, along with a stipend for childcare back home.
Participants are responsible for round-trip travel to Washington, D.C. for the weekend, along with meals and transportation while there. If travel costs are a barrier, share it on your application or reach out to us directly at info@twc.edu, and we’ll work with you and your home institution to find a path forward.
What makes this program funded for me?
This program is funded by the ECMC Foundation, one of the few national funders focused specifically on supporting parenting and single mother students in higher education. Since 2016, ECMC Foundation has invested more than $20 million in programs, research and organizations working to improve outcomes for student parents and their families.
Can I still participate in the program if I graduate in 2027?
Yes. We designed the program to meet students wherever they are in their educational journey. If you graduate during or shortly after the program year, you’ll still have access to career coaching, your mentor and your peer network for up to six months after the program ends — and you become part of the TWC alumni community for life, with continued access to networks and opportunities long after graduation.
How much time will this take each week?
Time commitments vary by component. For most of the year, plan a few hours each month for career coaching and peer network touchpoints. The D.C. skill-building weekend is a concentrated three-day experience. The micro-internship is roughly 20 hours of part-time project work (and can be done remotely). The program is deliberately designed to flex around your schedule.
What if I can’t travel to D.C.?
We want to make the trip possible for everyone who wants to attend, and the childcare stipend is part of that. If travel costs, caregiving logistics or anything else is a concern, share it on your application or reach out to us directly at info@twc.edu — we can often find creative solutions in partnership with your home institution.
What happens after the program ends?
You’ll have access to continued career coaching for up to six months, whether you’re job searching, planning for the next semester or still sorting out what’s next. You also join the TWC alumni community, which includes ongoing networking, programs and opportunities designed to support long-term career success.
