By Kayla Higgs
Trinity Times Correspondent

When Trinity Washington University student Sircey Smith took a sneak-preview tour of the colorful new Family Library in mid-September, the rainbow-themed space evoked nostalgia of the bright-welcoming environments of her childhood.

Smith has no doubt that the children of Trinity students will be fully entertained as soon as they walk into the new Family Library when it officially launches on Oct. 21, 2023, with the grand opening scheduled for 1-4 p.m.

The space – located in the basement of Trinity’s Sister Helen Sheehan Library – is also designed to subtly reinforce learning for the children, who will be welcomed in there as their parents attend to other business they have on campus, said Family Services Librarian Liz Augustine. While looking at do-it-yourself art featuring a smiling sun and rain cloud with a rainbow in the middle, “One kid came in and was like ‘it takes sunshine and rain to make rainbows,’ so it’s… little things where they don’t know they’re learning,” Augustine said, “but it’s a pretty thing, so they kind of get excited about it.” 

While university officials stress that the new Family Library is not a daycare, it is a space for Trinity student caregivers to work and study while their children are entertained with the books, games, and LEGOs strategically made available to them.

Augustine said she is thrilled the space additionally offers items for “a variety of ages,” such as a train table, arts and crafts, toys, and whiteboards.

The library didn’t leave out breastfeeding parents either. Across the hall from the new Family Library is a “Nursing Nook” with chairs, a diaper-changing station, and an attached bathroom.

“It’s a good idea to open up the Family Library, especially for moms with younger kids because sometimes it’s hard to find a daycare or a babysitter,” said one Trinity student, who asked to remain anonymous, and added that it’s especially stressful to try to find childcare for times that will accommodate a university class and study schedule.

About 20% of Trinity’s students are parents, compared to the U.S. national 22% average of all undergraduate students with children, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Additionally, 55% of these students are also single parents, and 75% of students surveyed by the D.C.-based non-profit Generation Hope were caring for a child under the age of four. Student caregivers are often exhausting themselves managing their schedule between school, work, and their child, according to a 2020 study by the University of Minnesota’s Student Parent Help Center. On top of that, most student caregivers are constantly searching for childcare, especially as U.S. costs can be anywhere between $4,810 and $15,417, depending on age and type of care, the 2020 study found.

“Fewer than 2% of teen mothers earn a college degree before age 30, and more than half of all parenting college students leave school without a degree,” said a report from Generation Hope, the same organization that established the 2023 FamilyU Cohort, which is working with universities like Trinity to create innovative support systems for students who are parents.

Trinity Librarian Trisha Smith, who helped conceptualize the Family Library, said through FamilyU, Generation Hope wanted to work with universities to put in place systems that would help undergraduate student caregivers academically excel and graduate college.

The Trinity team then identified the university could support students through “creating a family-friendly space,” leading to the establishment of the Family Library and the Nursing Nook in a part of the Sheehan Library that was previously used as an auditorium, a classroom and even a headquarters of sorts for the contractors who were building the Payden Academic Center, Smith said. Trinity is among the eleven universities in FamilyU’s first cohort.

The new Family Library can also serve as a place for student caregivers to meet with their advisors, Trinity’s career services and even take make-up exams, all while they have their child with them, who are occupied with adventuresome activities, Augustine said.

Students can also build connections with one another, allowing for peer-to-peer support and the Student Parent Alliance can even host meetings in the space, she said.

“Lots of times, student parents feel like they’re alone, they feel like ‘I’m the only student parent in my class’… but on Trinity’s campus you’re most likely not the only parent in your class,” Trisha Smith said. “So hopefully they can find each other as a group on campus and… they could hopefully feel supported and feel like ‘OK Trinity knows that I exist, and they actually care.'”

To emphasize Trinity’s commitment to providing dynamic support to student caregivers outside of offering them much-needed work time, there will be information located in the new Family Library about available resources for their children, such as free sports teams and offerings sponsored by the District of Columbia Public Library, like a chess club and reading programs. “They’re students, they’re parents, a lot of them have to work and they’re caregivers,” Augustine said. “That’s a lot for one person and I think the more information we can make available about resources that can help; we’re doing our job.”

From the floor stickers guiding students to the two spaces downstairs to the LEGOs, the Family Library is 100% supported through repurposed materials and donated items by the larger Brookland and Trinity community, and the current book collection is supplemented through the D.C. Public Library.

Augustine and Smith said the library welcomes books and other donations for the Family Library and the space still needs organizational items, such as baskets or gift cards to places like IKEA, Target, and Michaels. The Family Library has created a “Wishlist” to guide people in donating.

Over time, the library staff would like to see the space continue to evolve, such as integrating computers in the room, alongside a growing collection of books and other kid-friendly items. The list of outside resources will also continue to grow, Augustine said, adding that once the space is open, arts and crafts workshops led by student library staff will be provided. “I feel like Trinity is trying to make the effort to be supportive for moms,” said one student who is a mother and who asked to remain anonymous “So, to see this come to play is good growth.”