AB 2458 (Berman): Greater Accessibility, Information, Notice, and Support (GAINS) for Student Parents Act
Update: The GAINS for Student Parents Act Becomes Law!
On Sunday, September 29, 2024, Governor Newsom signed AB 2458, the GAINS for Student Parents Act (the GAINS Act), co-authored by Assemblymembers Berman, Arambula, and Boerner, and Senators Ashby and Limón.
California is home to roughly 400,000 student parents, a majority of whom are first-generation students or students of color. The cost of college and non-tuition expenses, including child care, is one of their biggest barriers to accessing and completing higher education. While student parents have greater food, housing, child care, and transportation costs than their nonparenting peers, these costs are not accounted for in their financial aid, leaving student parents with inadequate financial support.
The California Alliance for Student Parent Success, the Michelson Center for Public Policy, Cal State Student Association, Generation Hope, uAspire, and UNITE-LA co-sponsored the GAINS Act to address these issues, empowering colleges to more comprehensively identify the student parents they serve as well as expanding financial aid access to support this student population to college completion and beyond.
Under the GAINS Act, campuses at all public colleges and universities in California have several different requirements. The California Community Colleges and California State University must complete them, and the state requests that the University of California do the same:
- By the start of the spring 2025 semester/quarter (and by the start of every fall and spring semester/quarter thereafter): Update student parent websites with on- and off-campus student parent services and resources.
- By July 31, 2025: Develop and disseminate a cost of attendance adjustment policy for student parents.
- By the start of the 2026-27 academic year:
- Implement that cost of attendance adjustment policy.
- Establish a data field in campuses’ data management information systems to identify student parents.
- Collect student parent data using that data field.
- Report student parent data to the Chancellor’s or President’s Office for inclusion in the California Cradle to Career Data System.
- Update the campus net price calculator to include a baseline student parent cost estimate.
In the coming months, The Alliance will share implementation toolkits to help institutions meet the new law’s provisions and support student parents on clearer paths to college and career success. Stay tuned!
