Many colleges (a good number of them are online universities) have gotten together to form an educational awareness program called Project Working Mom: Putting Education to Work. It is a coalition that is driving the campaign to educate our nation's mothers by providing $2 million in scholarships.
Qualifying mothers are given tuition money to spend on universities of their choice (although the online colleges heavily advertise their services). But, why mothers? Well, it turns out that American mothers are not doing so well in the job market, and with an economy lagging seriously behind, these dedicated women can no longer be ignored.
Ninety nine percent (99%) of American women will work for pay at some time in their lives while 60.7% of the women in the workforce are mothers with children under the age of 3. Eighty percent (80%) of single parent families are headed by women.
Fifty percent (50%) of married working women earn more than $40K a year, while only 22% of single working mothers can even claim to make at least $30K. Single mothers are 19% more likely to live in poverty than single fathers, and over 80% of single mothers lack higher education, thus locking them into the poverty cycle. Women comprise 46% of the work force. With those statistics, it is no wonder that President Obama addressed the education issue in his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and has urged every American to attend at least one year of college. ARRA revamped funding for higher education making grants, loans, and scholarships easier to obtain with a higher cash value.
The best way to benefit from the President's offer is to fill out the Free Application for Student Aid. Here, an online application will automatically determine your eligibility for all federal financial aid programs. All it takes is a little of your time to take the first steps toward breaking out of the poverty cycle.
**Update**
Did you know you can get a $10,000 scholarship for Moms just for registering? Apply right now for free:
Scholarships for Moms
