On-Campus Childcare

One of the hardest thing for a fulltime college parent or even a fulltime working parent is managing childcare while in class or at work. Many colleges offer on-campus childcare or are affiliated with volunteering services that care for students' infants or toddlers at no cost or at reduced rates.

Be sure to see if your college has or is partnered with childcare services in your community.

Here are a few examples of colleges that support campus childcare:

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, AL (Child Development Centers)
University of Alabama, AL
Edmonds Community College, WA
Central Washington University, WA

photo credit - http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/bbb/images/preschool_teacher.jpg

Free Prenatal Classes

Prenatal education can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. It can help:
✩ Decrease preterm deliveries
✩ Decrease low birth weight and very low birth weight
✩ Reduce NICU admissions
✩ Increase early and consistent prenatal care

If you enrolled for a state health care plan for pregnant women, like the one I presented [ here ], then you will have access to classes offered by hospitals or women's wellness centers. Cost is covered for you and many times you are offered incentives to attend (giftcards and coupons for baby items). The state WANTS you to have a healthy baby :), otherwise the costs for them would be astronomical and they are trying to avoid that. Preterm babies cost an arm and a leg to care for. I think its great that they offer prenatal classes and I think if you have the opportunity you should definitely take advantage of it. It will be beneficial for you, your baby, and your state.

If you don't have time to attend a class in person, here is a great online option that is also free and highly comprehensive (offered by babycenter.com):

✓ Other FREE online pregnancy classes:

Childbirth Class Online from About.com

Health Insurance for Pregnant Moms in College

If by any chance you are not covered by insurance, regardless of the reason, pregnancy is not the time to neglect much needed medical care. If you had any ailment (cancer for example) that put you in the pre-existing condition category, you know how frustrating it is to be denied over and over again, or be offered private insurance at astronomical premiums that you would never be able to afford on a college budget. For example, I was offered private insurance for $1000 a month.

In addition, from what I know from personal experience, the health insurance you buy through your school does NOT cover any type of pregnancy related medical care. Maybe your school's insurance covers more so be sure to check!

I have some good news for you if you cannot afford health insurance while in college! Each state should have a state run health care program specific for pregnant women. Virginia has FAMIS, New York has Prenatal Care Services through Medicaid, etc. All you need to do is google search health insurance for pregnant women followed by the state you are in.

The first thing you will need in terms of paperwork is proof of pregnancy. Once you know you are pregnant go to your local Planed Parenthood Center or any free clinic in your community. They will give you a pregnancy test and a piece of paper that is certified/signed by the attending physician or nurse practitioner. This paper is needed to begin your application for health insurance that covers your pregnancy.

Next, you will need to fill out the application for your state's health insurance program online. If you are a college student all you need to do is provide proof of enrollment and proof of income. The process can take from 2 weeks to 4 weeks maximum. So make sure you get started early!

Once you get approved, you will get a temporary letter with a member number and later you will get an actual card. If you card has not arrived yet, you can take the confirmation letter with you to the doctor and they will see you even though you are not officially enrolled with a specific insurance company (you get to chose one later based on what benefits you want, they are all very similar however some of them offer free prenatal classes that you may want to attend).

The insurance plan will cover routine visits, ultra sounds, gender determination, and almost all the services a person with private insurance would have access to.

If you have any specific questions go ahead and leave it in the comments section. I will do my best to find an answer for you.