Mission North Star Helps Parents Kick-Start Their College Education

When Kaylee Solares graduated from Homestead Senior High School in 2019, she struggled to balance college and taking care of her newborn baby, Jaylyn. 

Solares enrolled at Homestead Campus that fall with a full scholarship from the Mexican American Council. That is where she found out about Mission North Star—a college-wide initiative that supports parents between the ages of 18 to 29 to pursue a college education. 

Fast-forward four years and the 22-year-old is expected to earn her associate’s degree in nursing this fall. 

“It’s truly such a great organization,” Solares said. ”Mission North Star offers all the help that parents could possibly need.”

Mission North Star aims to support the high number of student parents found at community colleges, which according to an Institute for Women’s Policy Research report from 2019 is one in four scholars.

The program covers tuition, provides educational support and refers members to services and non-profits like The Children’s Trust, Mexican American Council and the Community Coalition. It’s operated by the Expanding Opportunities for Young Families—a five-year national project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Four years ago, Miami Dade College was one of three community colleges nationwide to receive a $145,000 grant to kick-start the program. 

“It can be hard when you have so much on your plate,” said Stephanie Silva, who has served as the program’s manager since 2020. “It’s hard to stay engaged even as a student who doesn’t have kids, so we try to offer a lot of different things.”

Mission North Star currently helps close to 100 students. Twenty-six students have graduated from the program.

Asya Beyah-Gilmer joined Mission North Star two years ago. She has a three-year-old daughter, Attiyah, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration via MDC Online.  

Through the program, Beyah-Gilmer’s daughter gets free childcare and education through Early Head Start—a government-run daycare for children under the age of 4. 

As someone who understands juggling work and school, the 27-year-old runs Cast Iron Kitchen—serving as a personal chef for parents who don’t have time to cook.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been able to obtain through the program,” said Beyah-Gilmer, who earned an associate’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson and Wales University in 2017. 

Mission North Star is spearheaded by Silva, former and current students who serve as parent ambassadors and Adriana Martinez, who serves as a grant coordinator for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program—a separate grant that provides parents with access to childcare services.

Parent ambassadors lead Zoom meetings with students twice a month to discuss their hardships, set academic, professional and self-care goals and exchange parenting tips on how to manage a child’s behavior and nutrition. 

“The parents love it,” Silva said. “They not only get to have a therapy session amongst each other but they make friends in the process.”

Another program is the Fathers Stepping Up initiative, which features a group of seven fathers who meet remotely with parent ambassadors every other Saturday to discuss topics such as healthy relationships with their children, important milestones and co-parenting. 

Parents also have access to Care Coordination, a one-on-one monthly meeting that provides them with advice regarding topics like financial aid, after-school care, educational progress and mental health counseling. 

To join Mission North Star, parents must be current or aspiring MDC students between the ages of 18 and 29. To qualify for childcare services through CCAMPIS, students must be enrolled in at least nine credits, be eligible to receive a Pell Grant and have a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Applications for the program can be submitted using the Mission North Star intake form.

“You see a lot of parents doing their best and you just want to do the same,” said Alma Méndez, a mother of two kids who has served as a parent ambassador for the program since 2020. “You learn to persevere.” 

For more information about Mission North Star, contact Stephanie Silva at (305) 237-0316 or sriveras@mdc.edu.

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