Parents Attending Law School

RWU Law is committed to supporting our students who are also parents and to helping them and their families manage the challenges of balancing school life and family life. 

At RWU Law, we recognize that students who have the added responsibility of parenthood while attending law school face unique issues and circumstances. The Office of Diversity and Outreach, in collaboration with the Associate Dean of Student Life and Operations and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, provides many resources and services to support our student parents/students with families and happily assists students who have questions about  child care, local school systems, course schedules, housing and related concerns. 

Resources and Services Available 

• Referral assistance and resource materials for parents seeking childcare. 
• Information about school vacation and recreational summer camp programs for children
• Information about family-friendly housing options
• Support for the Older Wiser Law Students (OWLS) student groupand collaboration with OWLS to sponsor programs related to balancing school and family and to hold family-based social activities
• Ability to appeal your financial aid package and request additional aid to cover childcare costs.  For more information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 401.254.4641
• Private space for nursing mothers

Academic Support

RWU Law also offers our student parents options that allow them to fulfill their academic/course obligations while avoiding or minimizing conflicts that may arise with their parental obligations (for example, childcare obligations) and are unavoidable despite a student’s best efforts to avoid or resolve such conflict.  With regard to academic concerns, we can help our student parents with the following support and resources:

• Options for taking a reduced course load
• Options for rescheduling exams if they are in direct conflict with an unavoidable parental obligation
• No evening or weekend classes or exams for first year students.
• Scheduling required classes at different times in order to give scheduling flexibility that accommodates childcare needs
• Flexible sectioning options to accommodate childcare needs

Childcare Options For Parents Attending RWU Law

We know that juggling law school and parental obligations is challenging.  Just as working parents need to make childcare arrangements for their children, so do student parents attending law school.  There are a host of childcare options available to student parents and we know that each student parent will make regular childcare arrangements that are best for his or her individual family situation.  However, we also understand that there are times when the schedules of the law school and your child(ren)’s school and/or childcare facility are in conflict, making regular childcare arrangements unavailable.  Roger Williams University does not have on campus day care; however, there are local childcare facilities that can offer back up or other child care to RWU Law students when your primary childcare is unavailable. 

While Roger Williams University and RWU Law are not affiliated with any of the organizations below (and affirms that there are other childcare options in and around the area that may be more convenient or otherwise suitable for you), and we advise each individual to contact the organization directly to confirm information regarding discounts, daily rates, and other details, we offer the following as a few options that may be helpful to you as you search for primary and alternate childcare for your family.  Please understand that RWU/RWU Law make no endorsement and undertake no inspections of, and assumes no responsibility for, the childcare and/or camp facilities listed herein.  No information provided here creates a legal relationship between students, parents, the University/School of Law or any third party regarding such facilities.

In addition to the childcare facilities, below are two local options for childcare during certain school vacation weeks and the summer.  (Again, we recognize that there are many other options available and this is not an exhaustive list.)

Local Childcare Options

If you are or will be a parent attending law school and have any questions about resources, courses, schedules, etc., please contact our Director of Diversity and Outreach so that we may assist you.