Getting a good higher education is at the core of everyone’s interest. Even stay-at-home mothers who may wish to advance their education may do so, provided they have access to credit funding for their desired educational programs in college or university. At the core of every mother’s worries is the issue of how to garner sufficient financing to complete their studies successfully. There are numerous financing options available out there which one can harness. Here are four of the most suitable ways that such mothers can fund their bid to go back to school.

Seeking college aid

Most colleges offer some tailored internal student sponsorship programs where special groups are given privileges. Depending on the college, stay-at-home mothers can also qualify for sponsorship. Although one can rarely get a full scholarship through such a program, the little aid that one can get through the program would offer a reprieve on one’s budget. The aid programs are run through a special dedicated office which one can visit and seek the qualification criteria to determine if they can qualify for the same. Other viable aid options that one can seek include funding from friends and family members who may contribute towards the education program.

Working and studying in part-time

The option of working and studying in part-time is particularly sought-after by many stay-at-home mothers who have access to good-paying jobs. This arrangement can be sought depending on the course that one is studying. College degrees nowadays have been tailored to offer studying options such as evening or weekend classes. This offers students with the possibility of working to finance their education. The option of working part-time gives students additional funds that they can use to either finance their education or obtain money for self-upkeep, commuting and payments for educational resources.

Securing student loans

Finding an appropriate and affordable student loan to finance their education is the primary and most sought-after option. At the worry of every loan-seeker, however, is on the issue of the relatively high-interest rates that students may be exposed to. With there being numerous financial institutions offering lending services to students, it is easy to find yourself paying high interests after your education program. There are, however, options one can pursue to lower their loan interests rates. One of this is establishing a long credit history with a particular financial institution of one’s choice. Having a good credit history would be a sign of the loan seeker’s capability to repay the loan as the creditors check on a number of issues when lending, the primary of which is the saving history.

Seeking government grants

The government has a dedicated funding option for students seeking higher education. Often offered at a relatively low interest rate, the grant option is viable as it gives students additional relief by paying part of their college tuition fees. The flexible grant-repayment option whereby students are spared from repayment until they secure a job would offer a stay-at-home mother with a very suitable financial option for their education.

With these options, securing funding for one’s education can never be too hard to achieve. It is important to evaluate the options available and go for the one that suits best.

School has become overly stressful. If you take the time to look at the amount of homework they are expected to finish in one night, the projects with small windows of prep time in between, and countless standardized tests they need to study for. Not to mention, they are expected to participate in extracurricular activities so they can get a more holistic school experience.

For instance, there are international schools which conduct the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education annually. This is when secondary students are required to take a series of tests, and the results will determine whether they can qualify for pre-university studies or not. As guardians, we can already see how much pressure kids are in during normal school days. Now we have to dump this information on them.

So the question is: how do we make sure that while they are working hard to get good grades, they are also not at risk of overstress? Well, one of the simplest ways we can get involved is to help them create a study habit they can stick with.

Get updated with school events and plot them on a large calendar

Let’s use the Global Indian International School in Singapore as an example – they have a mobile app called MyGIIS that parents can use to communicate with teachers and keep themselves informed of important school schedules. If your school does not offer an app or a weekly newsletter, maybe you can suggest this idea at a parent-teacher council.

Collate important schedules, and using colorful markers, mark them on a communal calendar. Preferably, this calendar should be accessible to everyone so they can make changes when they need to. But don’t just limit this to the school schedule; if they are going out with friends, you can ask them to put it there.

Have a consistent study schedule

The best way to learn how to consistently study is to actually do it on a daily basis. What this can essentially do is retain discussion information during the day more effectively by going over it again. By doing this, the students don’t actually have to study extra hard before an exam. They can just sift through notes and do practice exercises.

Set a specific time when they should focus on schoolwork and studying and make it a routine. An example would be as soon as they arrive from school, allow them to relax for about an hour. Then before dinner, they have to start doing their schoolwork. This cuts their schoolwork time after dinner so they still have time to do what they want and get a good night’s sleep.

Always have breaks

Allowing breaks in between studying does well to our children. One would be giving our kids’ minds and eyes a much needed a break. Another would be for the benefit of kids who may dislike studying for long periods of time. Ask them if they work better with white noise, in which case you can turn on the TV on a channel they like, but you have to make clear that their homework needs to be done. Or ask if they prefer studying with music.

The most important thing to remember is to look for signs of frustration. No matter how comfortable the environment is, our kids may still feel annoyed that they are not understanding a lesson. When this happens, that is when you step in to study with them. Note that if you are not in the mood yourself, do not offer your help. Two frustrated people is not going to make it any easier.