WHEREAS, California Law, AB 1127 (Calderon, 2017), dictates that many public buildings must have baby changing stations in their restrooms but this mandate does not extend to public colleges and universities; One in eight undergraduates are student parents, baby changing stations are necessary to the success of student parents and only 37% of student parents graduate within 6 years compared to 60% of their peers without children;
WHEREAS, There is no comprehensive data showing the availability of baby changing stations on California Community College campuses, while there are California Community Colleges that have baby changing stations in some of their restrooms, these stations are not easily accessible around campus and changing stations are a staple in most public retail spaces;
WHEREAS, 61% of student parents are also first-generation students and many are unaware of the resources available to them and are unlikely to ask for the location of a changing station, especially with a crying infant; and
WHEREAS, The absence of accessible baby changing stations may create unnecessary barriers for student parents, further complicating academic success by causing students to travel out of their designated area to seek seclusion to address this basic need; Now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for California Community Colleges to install baby changing stations in men’s, women’s, and gender-neutral restrooms on campuses, including in administrative buildings and actively work with local student government bodies, and relevant stakeholders to monitor the implementation of this resolution and its progress;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate that California Community Colleges make campuses more accessible to parenting students by installing baby changing stations in 25% of bathrooms in the next 3-5 years, ensuring that all student parents have access to this essential resource and to make students aware of the new resource available to them [4];
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges provide a toolkit to California Community College Districts with funding resources to assist with the purchasing and installation of baby changing stations, such as an interactive handbook in a PDF format and student parents will be more likely to use on-campus services if they have access to a clean, safe space to care for their children; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage California Community College campuses to add a door decal to restrooms that contain baby changing stations, such as the Koala Kare™ decal or campuses cancreate their own precisely labeled, easy to identify door decal.
Sources
[1]https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/2024/10/09/12-stats-about-parenting-college-students
[2] https://20mm.org/pregnant-and-parenting-student-initiative/
[3] https://castudentparentalliance.org/resources/infographic-californias-undergraduate-student- parents/
[4] https://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/dc/
[5] https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Raising-Expectations-Student-Parent-Success.pdf