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Adult upgrading programs are in high demand and funding is extremely limited. For many prospective adult students, making the decision to go back to school is difficult enough in itself; discovering that the wait list is two years or longer can come as quite a shock. Most candidates for up-grading programs are single parents and, as students-in-waiting, they are often unaware of the many things they can do to prepare for becoming full-time students. As a result, they commence their studies with high hopes and rosy dreams for the future, only to find, within a few weeks, that they're overwhelmed by the joint responsibilities of providing adequate care for their children and the requirement that they be in school every day.

From my decade of experience as a counselor to adult students and my decade as a single parent, here are ten tips for single parents thinking about going back to school:

(1)
Apply for the program you need, and spend your time on the wait list building up your resume. Find someone with whom you can exchange babysitting for an afternoon once a week and take on some volunteer work so that you'll have something other than childcare and housekeeping skills to put on your resume. Having had six babies in seven years does not qualify you to be an obstetrician! Rock babies at the hospital, walk dogs for the animal shelter or do photocopying at your child's school. Get out of the house and away from your children once a week for a few hours and do something that makes you feel good about yourself, allows you to become familiar with a work setting and develops connections that can later supply you with a reference. Consider this a test run for school. Don't cop out on your commitment the days that your kids have no school or one of them is sick, or a friend wants you to join her at the afternoon bingo. It you can find a way to work around those challenges, you'll be much better prepared for such eventualities when you're in school full time.

(2) Plan ahead for the day when you receive your acceptance letter. Interview prospective childcare providers and spend time getting to know them, letting them become familiar with your children and letting your children get comfortable with them. Offer to help prepare lunch at the daycare once a week, or to help take the children on a walk to the park so that you see the caregiver in action and your children can begin to develop a relationship with them and the other children in care. If you have school-age children

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