You've probably seen the ads on the web "Obama wants Moms to go back to college", or "Moms, Obama wants you to finish your degree!" The interesting thing about the way this particular initiative is being played out is that it's very personal. In most cases, whenever the scheme is mentioned, it's referred to as being Obama's plan, checking the President's personal name, rather than his title, or office.
This is seen as a personal plea from the president to the female reader, and is all the more appealing for this. As the new President is still in his "honeymoon period", this, plus his charisma make personal appeals that much more interesting to us than bland invitations from the White House. The main contribution made by Barack Obama was in publicising the Pell Grants. In addition to this, he has slightly increased the maximum grant available to each individual. However this does not mean that the average grant will increase, just that some scholars in particularly difficult circumstances will have a greater benefit than others.
Pell Grants were available before Obama took office, and were started not by his administration, but as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" agenda in 1965. The amount of grants has varied over the years, but the current year-on-year increase instigated by President Obama will give a 2009-10 student a maximum of $5,350 as opposed to last year's $4,731. This $619 per annum increase represents a 13% increase, which could be very helpful to those in greatest need.
While most of the publicity generated by this scheme is aimed at 'Moms'; a targeted demographic, it should be pointed out that the grant is not only available to women, nor could it be, as this would be an illegal discrimination against men.
**Update**
Did you know you can get a $10,000 scholarship for Moms just for registering? Apply right now for free:
Scholarships for Moms
