SJSU Launches Innovative Projects to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students Thanks to CSU Microgrant Program

San José State is one of 11 Cal State University campuses who have received $5,500 grants through the CSU Pregnant and Parenting Students Initiative (PPSI) to launch innovative projects that strengthen belonging, expand access to resources and help student parents persist to graduation.

Funded by the Michelson 20MM Foundation and administered through the CSU Basic Needs Initiative , these one-time PPSI microgrants recognize efforts at SJSU and across the CSU system to address the unique needs of student parents as they navigate higher education while balancing caregiving responsibilities, employment and financial obligations.

SJSU initiatives through the grant program during the 2026-27 academic year will include:

• A Pregnant & Parenting Student Resource Fair
• Expanded Parenting Support at the Spartan Food Pantry
• A Parenting Student Needs Assessment

"Parenting students are balancing their academic goals with significant caregiving, work and financial responsibilities, and those realities can create real barriers as they navigate college," says Kednel Jean, director of case management for SJSU Cares. "Through this grant, we can provide practical support while listening directly to parenting students about what they need and where gaps remain. What we learn will help us strengthen how we connect parenting students with resources, community and a greater sense of belonging."

San José State has a long tradition of supporting Spartan parents through the Associated Students Child Development Center , which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. A non-profit early education and care program for children ages four months through five years, the CDC employs SJSU student teachers and alumni and offers subsidized tuition for parents who are enrolled students.

The Child and Adolescent Development (CHAD) Lab Preschool is another childcare option for enrolled students and members of the San José community to benefit from SJSU faculty and student expertise. SJSU students enrolled in CHAD 160 apply new skills in the preschool environment by serving as teaching assistants, while fellow Spartans can enroll their children in a play-based curriculum.

In addition to SJSU, the 10 campuses awarded the grants are: Cal State East Bay, Fresno State, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Long Beach, CSUN, Cal State San Bernardino, San Diego State, Cal Poly in San ​Luis Obispo, Sonoma State and Stanislaus State.

The microgrants support innovative, campus-designed strategies for student parents. The range of projects that will be implemented during the 2026-27 academic year includes welcome kits for student parents, family resource fairs and community celebrations, wellness and parent engagement programming, basic needs distributions for student families, family education workshops, student parent storytelling campaigns, expanded resource navigation, recurring parent scholar gatherings, and new family-friendly infrastructure such as campus changing tables.

Together, these efforts advance the commitment across the CSU to:

• Creating more welcoming and family-friendly campus environments.
• Increasing equitable access to basic needs resources and support services.
• Strengthening student parents' sense of belonging and connection to campus.
• Building sustainable campus and community partnerships.
• Informing future systemwide strategies through assessment, collaboration and shared learning. ​

"Supporting student parents is an investment with ripple effects," said Carolyn O'Keefe, CSU's systemwide director of Student Wellness and Basic Needs. "When pregnant and parenting students have the resources they need to succeed, they model resilience and pass down the value of higher education to their children. By investing in their success, we are fostering future college-going families and helping to strengthen communities and the state." ​

The PPSI, along with these microgrants, represent the CSU's continued commitment to addressing students' holistic needs by ensuring pregnant and parenting students have access to the resources, accommodations and campus environments necessary to fully participate in college and achieve their educational goal.​