OCCC recently held a Single Parent Academic Resource Collaborative event to connect with single parents who are also students at the college. SPARC is an organization run by OCCC that provides resources and support to those who need it most. Ashley Valentas, director of student accessibility and support, organizes and runs the program.

“Our purpose for SPARC is that we want to be able to connect with any students who are also single parents because we know that they have different needs and stressors,” Valentas said. “We want to provide additional support to those single parents.”

There are currently 60 students who have registered for services provided by SPARC.

“OCCC has a really great selection of classes that work for single parents,” Valentas said. “OCCC offers so much flexibility for single parents who also have jobs. That makes OCCC an attractive place for a single parent who is looking for a degree but also has a job.”

Single parents at OCCC often face challenges when it comes to managing their time and responsibilities.

“I think one of the unique challenges that single-parent students face is balancing being a single parent along with working a full- or part-time job all while focusing on their own education,” Valentas said.

SPARC aims to provide consistent support for single parents who are also students at OCCC.

“I am always available to talk with students to figure out where those stressors are and how we can provide support,” Valentas said. “We hold our monthly ‘Lunch and Learn’ (events). We typically ask our students at the beginning of the semester what types of things they would like us to educate them on. We also ask what types of skills they want to learn. Then we ask our community to come and talk about those things with our students.”

SPARC has several goals focused on expanding assistance for single-parent students.

“One of our goals is to continue growing our support services,” Valentas said. “Another goal is to host toy drives around Christmas for single parents who can’t afford presents for their children. We also want to hold a school supply drive during the summer to provide supplies for families who can’t afford them.”

A number of vendors participated in the SPARC fair, including Childcare Network, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the Latino Community Development Agency, the Metropolitan Library System, OCCC Higher Education Prevention Services, OCCC Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations, OCCC Student Accessibility and Support, the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness, Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma Complete Health, the Oklahoma Family Network, the Oklahoma Warmline, Safe Families, Safe Kids, Strong Dads, the Tribal Liaison for DentaQuest and United Way.

Students who work with SPARC often experience success when it comes to balancing work, being a parent and pursuing their education.

“One of my favorite stories is hearing about a student who was excited to finally be graduating,” Valentas said. “It was special for her to share how excited she was about overcoming the challenges of being a single parent while going to school at the same time. It was exciting to hear” her story.