Single Mom, how can I get help with Expenses while in Nursing School?

[dedicated2Help]

I am still in the process of taking my pre-reqs but i am concerned that Financial Aid and Loans may not cover all my expenses:

Child Care

Rent ($400 i rent a room)

Those are my main expenses. Confused and worried, any help or guidance?

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

Another suggestion - since nursing school, from the prereqs through clinicals is such a long process, it might be worth it to get on a low income housing waiting list. Even though those programs can take a year to get accepted into, it might be super beneficial to you as a student and parent.

I, personally, have reapplied recently.

If you can move in with someone else, that is an ideal option, but everyone doesn't have that option.

Another option: consider getting an entry level position super fast and then using that to bridge to your long term nursing goal. This way you can earn income while in school. It will take longer, but it's helpful to be able to earn money sooner if ends just don't meet.

What I mean, is if you can get your CNA license, mine took 30 days.Then become an LVN. There are vocational programs that take 10-16 months including prerqs in my area of Cali. On the other hand, the community college takes 1 semester of prereqs before you can apply to LVN program and then the LVN program is 3 semesters. Then you can bridge from LVN to RN or LVN to BSN.

If you are in So Cal, the challenge is that your labor market and pay scales are different and so this needs to be factored into your decision making process.