Single Parent Families

Jessica MiddletonECE 7513

Definition

• A single parent family consists of a parent, not living with a spouse or partner, who has most of the day-to-day responsibilities in raising the child or children.

Culture & Family Characteristics

• Single parent families can result from divorce, death of a parent, unplanned pregnancy, or single parent adoption.

• Children living with single parents are exposed to more stressful experiences and circumstances than are children living with continuously married parents.

• Most children living with single parents are economically disadvantaged. It is difficult for poor single parents to afford the books, home computers.

Ways Teachers Can Help Students from Single Parent Families

• Be open-minded when searching for explanations to problems children are having. Do not use the term “broken home”

• Teach about difference and be respectful that not everyone has a mom and dad at home

• Try to stay in communication with the parent to assure them you care.

• Share good news (strengths) about students to parent, not only bad news (weaknesses).

Stressors Single Parent Families Face

• Visitation and custody problems.• The effects of continuing conflict between the

parents.• Less opportunity for parents and children to spend

time together.• Effects of the breakup on children's school

performance and peer relations.• Disruptions of extended family relationships.• Problems caused by the parents' dating and entering

new relationship

Statistics and Research• More than one fourth of all children in the United States live with only one

parent.• Many single parents, however, find it difficult to function effectively as

parents. • The results of the 2010 United Stated Cenus showed that 27% of children

live with one parent.• In 2006, 12.9 million families in the US were headed by a single parent,

80% of which were headed by a female. • Kids from single parent families are at risk for: lower levels of educational

achievement, twice as likely to drop out of school, less supervised by adults, more likely to participate in crime, twice as likely to get divorced in adulthood.

Sources• http://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/types

-of-families/Pages/Single-Parent-Families.aspx• http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journa

lid=37&articleid=107&sectionid=692• http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/single-parent.aspx• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_parent• http://www.healthofchildren.com/S/Single-Parent-Families.html• https://reclaimingjournal.com/sites/default/files/journal-article-pdfs/02_4

_Olson.pdf• http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/232