Campus, Child & Career

Concentrating on the subject matter in a seminar and learning new things - something that many students take for granted is a special challenge for Chiharu Hiratsuka (37). She has been studying for a Master's degree in History and the Public Sphere in Kassel since the summer semester of 2024. She knew beforehand that it would be a special course: When she applied, she was four months pregnant. Today, her son Leon is eight months old.
In the first few months after the birth, she took him with her to her lectures. However, the double burden of childcare and everyday study life was not easy. She had to leave the seminar room time and again and missed classes. "I asked myself how I could better combine motherhood and my studies," says Chiharu looking back. She finally found out about the Family Welcome Service via the information brochure "Studying with a child" and got in touch with Alina Lacher.

Anyone who becomes pregnant during their studies or already has a child is confronted with many unanswered questions: What childcare options are available? How can you organize your studies and what support is available? The Family Welcome Service at the University of Kassel provides answers to these questions. Alina Lacher, who has been the coordinator of the Family Welcome & Dual Career Service since January 2024, supports students with children and parents-to-be in reconciling family life with studies, academia and work. "My goal in every consultation is to encourage students to confidently combine family and studies and to support them in mastering everyday student life," emphasizes Lacher. The "Family in the University" charter, which the university signed in 2016 and which promotes the compatibility of family and studies, provides a strong foundation for precisely this.

Chiharu is now managing to cope well with her everyday life as a student. The Flying Nannies offer her flexible and free childcare. During her lectures, her son is looked after on an hourly basis so that she can concentrate fully on her seminars. Chiharu largely looks after him herself at home. Her husband, for whom she moved from Japan to Germany, is also involved, but is very busy at work. So that Chiharu can also write homework, Leon has been looked after at the studykidscare daycare center for two to three hours a day since the spring. The combination of the two childcare options makes her flexible. "I'm very grateful for that," says Chiharu. "In my home country of Japan, it's very unusual to study as a mother. So I was all the more surprised that there is so much support in Germany and especially at the University of Kassel."

In addition to the Flying Nannies and the studykidscare daycare center, the university offers numerous other services for student parents. For example, it is possible to apply for compensation for disadvantages, to be given priority in seminars in order to make the timetable more flexible, or to take exams on a voluntary basis during maternity leave. In addition, there are several breastfeeding and nappy-changing rooms as well as parent-child rooms on campus, which provide a place to retreat to between classes. Since this year, the Family Welcome Service has been organizing the Meet & Eat format with the autonomous parent department. Every second Tuesday of the month, parents can meet up for lunch in the canteen and get helpful information about studying and family life. "Student parents in particular often have little time, so we wanted to combine something useful with something informative," explains Lacher.

Another plus point: children of students under the age of seven can eat for free in the canteen. In addition to questions about childcare and study organization, many parents are also concerned about financing options. The Family Welcome Service works closely with the Studierendenwerk to provide comprehensive advice in this area. An integral part of Lacher's work is therefore targeted referrals, e.g. to the social counseling service, which provides information about Federal Students Assistance Act (BAföG), child benefit or other benefits.

Overall, Chiharu is impressed. Being a mother and studying at the same time does involve challenges, but with good planning and support from the university, it is possible to study successfully. She recommends other students with children to find out more from the Family Welcome Service, take advantage of the offers and network with other parents, for example at Meet & Eat in the canteen. A child or pregnancy does not stand in the way of studying. Lacher agrees: "Studying with a child doesn't mean the end of your studies, it can even offer advantages, such as more flexibility compared to working. Nevertheless, good organization is crucial to reconciling family and studies."

This article appeared in the university magazine publik 2025/2. Text: Hannah Eichenberg