Contact: Courtney Moore, cmoore90@calpoly.edu
Students with Dependents Program Coordinator

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly has been honored with the 2025 FamilyU Seal, a national certification honoring higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations making significant strides in serving student parents.

The Students with Dependents (SWD) Program applied for the designation from Generation Hope, a nonprofit providing direct support and national advocacy and research for student parents in college.

“The designation speaks to Cal Poly’s dedication to creating an environment where student parents can thrive academically, personally and professionally,” SWD Program Coordinator Courtney Moore said.

Cal Poly is one of four universities and two nonprofits to be included in the 2025 FamilyU Seal cohort. Fellow 2025 FamilyU Seal recipients include College Unbound, Howard Community College, West Valley College, New Legacy Charter School and Sunrise County Economic Council. The FamilyU Seal is awarded for a three-year term.

“We are thrilled to honor these campuses and nonprofits with this prestigious national recognition through the FamilyU Seal program — champions that are elevating student parents and opening true pathways for them to succeed in college and beyond,” said Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder and CEO of Generation Hope. “In order for higher education to spark real stability and prosperity for more families, this movement must continue to grow.”

Cal Poly has taken strides in recent years to support student parents. In 2023, the university became the first in the CSU to hire a full-time student services coordinator to lead the Students with Dependents Program, which offers services, resources and support to pregnant and parenting students.

In September, the program supported the California Student Parent Summit, which was hosted on the San Luis Obispo campus in collaboration with The Education Trust-West (The California Alliance for Student Parent Success), the Michelsen 20MM Foundation and Ascend at the Aspen Institute. The summit brought together student parents, staff and faculty from across California to build on the momentum of the student parent movement. The keynote speaker was Stephanie Land, author of “Maid” and “Class,” and a former student parent.

The SWD Program supports student parents in various capacities, such as connecting them with priority registration and assisting with securing a parking permit. The program also makes referrals to resources and works to make Cal Poly a family-friendly university. Past efforts have included providing booster seats and highchairs in dining facilities (in collaboration with Campus Dining) and adding changing tables in the Mott Athletics Gym.

Cal Poly Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) has supported student parents through the Orfalea Family and ASI Children’s Center, which provides on campus childcare and gives full-time students priority to enroll their children. The center also provides affordable care for student parents, by accepting childcare subsidies and offering lower rates for students.

A major highlight of the SWD Program is celebrating commencement. In the spring, the program works closely with the Office of Commencement to allow student parents to walk the graduation stage with their children.

“Being honored with the FamilyU Seal is a huge step in the right direction as Cal Poly moves forward with student-parent focused initiatives,” Moore said. “The SWD Program continues to make efforts to improve the experience of student parents at Cal Poly and create a more family-friendly campus.”

Top photo: Leana Marcus attended the California Student Parent Summit at Cal Poly in September. 

Photo by C. Wagner Photography