The FamilyU Cohort:
Transform your institution to better serve student parents

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Applications are due on May 13, 2026 by 11:59 PM EST.

About

What is the FamilyU Cohort? The FamilyU Cohort is a comprehensive, customized, evidence-based, two-year capacity-building experience designed to build and refine institutional competencies to improve student parent success. In partnership with institutional staff and student parents, colleges and universities participate in our peer learning convenings and campus-focused independent coaching sessions.

Generation Hope has launched five FamilyU Cohorts since 2021 comprised of institutions that are leading the way in innovative supports for this population.

Want to learn more before you apply? Join us for a virtual info session to meet the team and get your questions answered:

March 4, 2026 at 11am ET

April 29, 2026 at 2pm ET

Our Core Competencies for Student Parent Success

Data

Create a more comprehensive and utilitarian student parent-centered data collection system. In addition to walking you through best practices, we will connect you with experts on how to enhance your data collection methods and provide recommendations based on their lessons learned.

People

Assess the staff, faculty, and administration’s knowledge of student parents and identify strategies to increase awareness, training, and understanding that will lead to transformative support. We will walk you through individual practices that can either marginalize or encourage student parents.

Policy

Analyze institutional policy using a student-parent lens, develop a plan to amend policies that negatively impact student parents, and create policies to help this population thrive. We will also encourage you to think strategically about integrating state and federal policy into your student parent supports.

Culture

Develop and implement strategies that foster a welcoming environment for student parents. From the physical campus environment to the unspoken traditions or practices that define a culture, we will partner with you to unpack what messages you are sending to parenting college students each day.

Join the FamilyU Cohort

What Cohort Members Receive

A customized campus work plan guided by the Student Parent Campus Capacity Assessment Tool.
A dedicated coach to analyze assessment results, support and facilitate student parent efforts, and assist with problem-solving over the two-year cohort.
Eight interactive, quarterly cohort meetings aligned to the Core Competency Areas: Data, Policy, Culture, and People, using facilitation techniques centered on reflective dialogue, learning, collaboration, and results.
Fifteen one-on-one, customized coaching sessions over two years, engaging representatives from across departments.
One Student Parent Fellow to support the implementation phase of your institution’s work, trained and compensated by Generation Hope.
One executive session with your governing body and/or executive leadership team to report on progress.

FamilyU Cohort Outcomes

Increased awareness of the student parent population on your campus and their needs for college completion.
Increased student enrollment, retention, and completion rates.
Stronger, institution-wide student parent efforts engaging multiple departments and key stakeholders.
Deep relationships with peer institutions and field experts working to improve student outcomes.
Improved data collection methods and tools to better track students’ parenting status.
Development and implementation of racially equitable, parent-friendly policies across campus.
Cultivation of student-parent champions to drive systems-change efforts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

To be eligible for the FamilyU cohort, prospective participants must:
- Submit a Letter of Support for the institution to participate in the cohort from the institutional President/Chancellor.
- Be a nonprofit, post-secondary education institution (including public, private, 2-year, and 4-year institutions).
- Be located in the United States.
- Have a demonstrated interest in serving the undergraduate student parent population enrolled at your institution.
- Implemented practices that ensure fairness, access, and tailored support for all historically underserved populations within your institution.
- Be amenable to data sharing with the larger student parent field.
- Have a committed group of student parent champions willing to serve on the institutional team as a part of the FamilyU Cohort.
  Please note: This commitment will require multi-day travel to various cities throughout the United States.
The 2026 Cohort rate is $20,000 annually for each participating institution, totaling $40,000 for the full 2-year engagement. This fee covers core program participation and resources provided throughout the engagement.
In addition to the annual participation fee, institutions are responsible for covering all expenses related to their team's participation, including but not limited to:
- Lodging for all in-person events and activities
- Air travel to and from program-related meetings, convenings, and site visits
- Ground transportation, including transfers between the airport, event venue(s), and accommodations
- Meals and per diem outside of the convening schedule
Generation Hope will cover meals during each convening. The first payment/installment will be due by June 30, 2026.

Note: We are committed to ensuring Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have equitable access to this opportunity. To support their participation, the fee for HBCUs is set at a reduced rate of $20,000 for the full two-year engagement, covering core program benefits and resources provided throughout the engagement period. This reduced rate reflects Generation Hope's dedication to empowering HBCUs and reinforcing their lasting impact on higher education. The first payment/installment will be due by June 30, 2026. Beyond the participation fee, HBCUs will be responsible for their expenses related to ground transportation at convenings and meals not included in the convening schedule.
Each participating institution is encouraged to assemble a well-rounded team of six members, with one key staff member holding decision-making authority from each of the following areas: (1) Student Services, (2) Facilities/Campus Planning, (3) Faculty/Instruction, (4) Institutional Research, (5) Financial Aid, and (6)Title IX.
At FamilyU, we believe diverse voices strengthen collaboration and drive meaningful change. As you build your team, we invite institutional leadership to consider each member's race, ethnicity, gender, student-parent identity, sexual orientation, first-generation status, economic background, and other lived experiences. By bringing together a wide range of perspectives, your team can foster richer dialogue, deeper understanding, and a genuinely inclusive approach to advancing student success.
The institutional team will be led by a dedicated Team Lead with the time, capacity, and influence to inspire and support the team throughout the two-year commitment. Additionally, to ensure the team can achieve goals, a supportive member of the institutional team will offer mentorship and thoughtful supervisory guidance to a part-time Student Parent Fellow, who will become a valued contributor during the second year of the cohort.

From July 2024 to July 2026, the time commitment includes:
- Actively participating in eight two-day cohort meetings with other agreed-upon members of the institutional team:
  - July 24 & 25, 2026 (virtual)
  - October 28 & 29, 2026
  - February 4 & 5, 2027
  - March 26 & 27, 2027
  - June 10 & 11, 2027
  - October 28 & 29, 2027
  - February 24 & 25, 2028
  - June 22 & 23, 2028
- Convening locations will be determined by the institutions selected to join the cohort and will be announced during orientation. However, the Policy Convening and the final two convenings are typically held at Generation Hope’s national office in Washington, D.C. The 2026-2028 Cohort Celebration and Final Meeting is scheduled for June 2028-
- Engage in monthly institution-focused virtual coaching sessions, lasting up to 1.5 hours each, except during months when convenings are scheduled and during December.
- Expect to dedicate an average of 8 hours per month, beyond virtual coaching sessions and in-person cohort convenings, to actively advancing tasks and responsibilities that drive progress toward the goals outlined in the institutional work plan.
- During Year 2, Generation Hope staff will conduct an impactful site visit at each institution, typically lasting 4-6 hours. The visit will provide an opportunity for institutions to share progress, engage the campus community on student parent experiences and barriers, highlight FamilyU’s impact, and hear directly from student parents. Institutions are encouraged to assist with planning, cover on-site hosting expenses, and actively involve Student Parent Fellows and institutional team members. Generation Hope will provide a best practice template and brief training session to support preparation.
- Also, in Year 2, we offer the option to host an executive session with the institution’s Board of Trustees, Board of Visitors, and/or an executive leadership team during a time that aligns with your institution’s governing calendar.
- Team leads should dedicate additional time to meet with their coach outside of coaching sessions and supervision time for the student parent fellow in year 2.
- Institutional Presidents/Chancellors are expected to attend a special summit for campus leaders during our Policy Cohort Convening, scheduled for February 4 & 5, 2026, in Year 1 of the cohort. Proxies cannot be sent in their absence.
- Attendance is required for the Cohort Final Celebration at Generation Hope's National Office in Washington, D.C., in June 2027. This event will celebrate the cohort’s achievements and mark the end of the program.
We recommend the application be completed by the person most closely connected to student parent services and the implementation of policies affecting this group of students. This is often a Vice President of Student Services, Dean of Students, or someone in a similar role, but we trust you to choose the best representative for your institution.
As a cohort member, you will gain valuable data, resources, and insights to strengthen your efforts in better serving student parents on your campus. Through participation in virtual coaching sessions and in-person convenings, you will connect with student parent champions across your campus and higher education leaders nationwide. Regular communication and structured support from your dedicated FamilyU coach will be a key part of the cohort experience, ensuring you have the guidance needed to make meaningful progress.
Members of the 2026 FamilyU Cohort will receive the following benefits:
- Customized Campus Work Plan: A personalized action plan for your campus, informed by your results from Generation Hope’s Student Parent Campus Capacity Assessment.
- Dedicated Coaching Support: A Senior Higher Ed Impact Manager will guide your institution by analyzing assessment results, facilitating student parent efforts, and providing ongoing problem-solving support throughout the two-year cohort.
- Interactive, In-Person Cohort Meetings: Eight engaging, two-day in-person meetings held quarterly across the U.S., centered around Core Competency Areas (Data, Policy, Culture, and People), focusing on reflective dialogue, collaboration, and results-driven strategies.
- Monthly One-on-One Coaching: 15 personalized coaching sessions over a two-year period, focusing on your institution’s unique goals and challenges.
- Student Parent Fellow Participation: In the second year, a trained and compensated Student Parent Fellow will join your institutional team to support the implementation phase of your student parent initiatives.
- Institution Site Visit (Required): Generation Hope staff will conduct one on-site visit to provide hands-on support and assess progress during the cohort experience.
Executive Session with Institutional Leadership (Optional): The opportunity for an executive session with your institution’s Board to share progress and impact related to student parent success.

FamilyU Cohort Institutions

To date, 24 colleges and universities have participated in the FamilyU Cohort, representing a diverse mix of community colleges, four-year institutions, and minority-serving institutions across the country. Together, these institutions are committed to building more inclusive, parent-friendly campuses that improve student parent success and overall student outcomes.