Student Parent Support Initiative
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Student Parent Support Initiative
September is Student Parent Month! Read featured student parent stories below:
Minnesota's Student Parent Support Initiative (SPSI) provides much-needed support to entities and institutions to assist college-age pregnant and parenting students in successfully completing secondary education.
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature allocated $3 million over the next biennium to support the SPSI as a competitive grant program administered in partnership with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE). OHE manages the grant program and MDH will provide health expertise and guidance for the grantees. To learn more about this grant opportunity please visit Student Parent Support Initiative.
SPSI aims to bridge the educational opportunity gap by increasing access to crucial resources and services, ensuring that children have a healthy start and families have access to affordable and quality childcare and early education; access to mental health supports; and stable housing while parents are attending institutes of higher education.
SPSI History
From 2014 – 2017, MDH launched the Minnesota Student Parent Support Initiative (MSPSI) with funding from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs (OPA) to support nine Minnesota Institutions of Higher Education to provide activities and services to expectant and parenting secondary education students. Grantees included one private university, one tribal college, and seven Minnesota State community and technical colleges and universities.
MDH final summary report
OPA released this video showcasing the Minnesota Department of Health for MSPSI. The video showcases how partnerships with nine colleges helped to support expectant and parenting students, increase re-enrollment rates, and promote health.