Future LPN needs help!

NurseChick04 · May 7, 2004

I am not sure of what kind of programs they have in your area but when I went to school I was a single parent and I took advantage of everything I could to get me through school. You need to apply for a pell grant (FAFSA) which is free money that you don't have to pay back. Also consider getting a student loan to help you with finances while you are in school. It won't be a whole lot but it will help. Also call the welfare department in your area and ask them what kind of programs they have to help you through school. JTPA is one that I used that paid my tuition, books, uniforms, and helped with child care. I do not know if they have that there but you can also go to your college and ask them if they have a single parent program which can give you a lot of info on where the help is..hope this helps!

P.S. You may even consider getting a weekend job while you are in school..that is what I did and at least it paid the utilities and some groceries

TempleChic · May 7, 2004

Thank you for your response. Let me start off by saying that I TRULY meant to say ACCEPTED rather than excepted. OOPS!

Regarding the Pell Grant, I am told I will not qualify for that because that grant is based on my income from 2003 which does not qualify me for the grant. UGH! My school does not offer student loans. Is there an outside source I can go to?

I am not sure of what kind of programs they have in your area but when I went to school I was a single parent and I took advantage of everything I could to get me through school. You need to apply for a pell grant (FAFSA) which is free money that you don't have to pay back. Also consider getting a student loan to help you with finances while you are in school. It won't be a whole lot but it will help. Also call the welfare department in your area and ask them what kind of programs they have to help you through school. JTPA is one that I used that paid my tuition, books, uniforms, and helped with child care. I do not know if they have that there but you can also go to your college and ask them if they have a single parent program which can give you a lot of info on where the help is..hope this helps!
P.S. You may even consider getting a weekend job while you are in school..that is what I did and at least it paid the utilities and some groceries

Indy, LPN, LVN · May 9, 2004

There's a lot of financial aid out there. I'll tell you what I've got, so you can see a little bit of the picture:

1- pell grant. Invaluable because it can be up to $1000 per quarter for full time at my school, so what isn't used on tuition I get back as a refund at the end of the quarter. http://www.fafsa.com is where you go to apply for that.

2- Hope scholarship! if you have a B average you should apply for this. It pays tuition and $100 towards books each quarter, so you wind up getting your whole pell grant back instead of part of it. Very nice.

3- WIA- JPTA no longer exists, it's WIA now. Once you're unemployed give your local department of labor office a call. They may have a waiting list, and you have to be unemployed 30 days to be eligible. But once they pick you up, they pay for the books, uniforms, supplies once you've used your $100 from Hope. They also pay you every two weeks for transportation and childcare: $3 a day for transportation and $5 a day for childcare (a day being each day you go to class and/or clinical). It adds up.

4- DFACS! - Food stamps, don't be shy to apply for them. Also IF you are either in school (actual class hours, not credit hours) 25 hours a week and/or working 25 hrs/week (whatever combo adds up to 25 hours) they may pick up some of your daycare expenses, up to a year, while in a school program that they support, and they do support nursing.

5- SSI- but only because my daughter is disabled. Again, I tell people, if someone who's dependent on you is disabled, don't hesitate to apply. It's in the whole family's best interest that everyone be clothed, fed and housed while mom goes to school.

For me the picture works rather well, I have about zero leftover money but my bills are paid. So it is very doable. I was concerned at first because two year colleges in Georgia don't do federal education loans, which seems silly to me. But there's money out there. You just gotta ask for it.

-Indy

Squaw · May 12, 2004

Temple chic--I understand what you mean. My roommate got accepted to Chattahoochee and had to drop because for her and her son she had to work 32hrs a week for insurance. She found out that this is not doable while in school full-time. As for Pell, it is based on last years income and unless you are at poverty level the financial advisors told us that she would not get that. I have been and now she is working on her RN. When clinicals start for that she has heard that most are just 3 day weeks so she will be able to still work. You would think with such a shortage schools and the gov't would make it easier. If you know anything else out there please let me know how she could get affordable health insurance.

StudentNurseKelly · May 12, 2004

Hi Templechic,

I am going to West Central also. I was doing the core classes for the LPN program, but I have just changed majors to the new RN program. I have to take extra math classes before I'll be able to do my core classes(yuck!). But it will be worth it. Have you tried the Hope? I don't know of any school that offers classes for nursing in the evening. Well good luck to you, maybe I'll see you at school, haha!

Kelly

Della · May 29, 2004

]West Georgia Technical College (in LaGrange)will start up their night Fall program, But you need to apply to them now, there is a long waiting list and they only take 20.

I am currently enrolled at West Central Tech. I will be applying to get into their LPN program for this fall as I have completed my Prerequisites. Assuming I am excepted, I will have to quit my job as I work 8-5, M-F.
I am now questioning whether or not I will be able to do this. I am a single mother with a mortgage, car note and other bills. I contacted financial aid to see what options where available to me. The lady was of little or no help to me.
Can anybody please give me some direction. Do I need to give up my dream of being a nurse? Is there any financial aid options available to me? Are there any schools that offer evening training???
Please help.

MaiRose · Feb 1, 2007

try some of the hospitals in the area for receptionist or patient care jobs.