What is SPAN?
Given the significant challenges single parents face, we decided to start the Single Parent Advisory Network in order to help single parents get access to personal finance resources and coaching
Why Single Parents?
In the United States nearly 1 in 4 children under 18 live with one parent, and more than 80% of these families are led by single mothers. These single parents not only have to work to provide for their families, but they also have all of the responsibilities for childcare. Often these families are under a great deal of stress financially because their families only have one source of income and must spend more on childcare services.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all Americans, single parents have been especially hard-hit. They’re now tasked with doing all the childcare commitments while at the same time juggling all the stresses of their job. During the pandemic there has been twice as much decrease in employment among single mothers compared to mothers who have partners, and for a lot of families this brings their already tenuous financial position closer to the edge.