Student Caregiver Resources

WCU is committed to supporting students who devote resources to caring for their children or family members and often face additional obstacles to success. The information on this page is designed to help you balance the competing tasks of your life as a student and caregiver by highlighting resources that provide academic support, financial support, and community support. These resources have a specific focus on the West Chester and Philadelphia areas. In this section, you will find information regarding assisting our elders, assisting others with mental health and addiction, healthcare services, identity-based support services, and resources for caregivers.

Assisting our Elders

  • Area Agencies on Aging: “Your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is the front door for aging services in your community. Your AAA is staffed with skilled workers who can provide information about services and also assist in obtaining access to those services. Pennsylvania has 52 Area Agencies on Aging that cover all 67 counties.”
  • Adult Day Centers: “Adult Day Centers (ADC) provide social, recreational, and health services for older Pennsylvanians. They are a great resource for families and other caregivers who work and are unable to provide assistance during work hours.”
  • Senior Community Centers: “Senior Community Centers offer meals, recreation, health and wellness programs, and a variety of other services for older Pennsylvanians. There are over 500 Senior Community Centers throughout Pennsylvania.”
  • Eldercare Locator: This resource is a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging and it connects individuals to services for older adults and their families. The phone number to contact a representative about this resource is 1-800-677-1116.

Food Security for Elders & Families

  • Philadelphia Food Distribution Sites: Find free food and meals including food sites, student meal sites, senior meal sites, outdoor meal sites. 
    • These sites supplement the existing food pantry network. To find a food pantry near you:
      • Call 311. Make sure to call the pantry in advance to confirm their hours.
      • Call the WhyHunger hotline at 1-800-5HUNGRY or text your ZIP code to 1-800-548-6479 to receive a list of nearby food pantries.

Center for Women & Gender Equity

For additional support or inquiries, please contact the Center for Women & Gender Equity (CW&GE). In addition, if you would like to learn more about the Parenting & Caregiving at WCUPA D2L Resource, please email us at cwge@wcupa.edu. This resource was created to support student parents and caregivers during their time at WCU. It is a resource that includes information about fulfilling relationships, financial support, filling and easy meals, mental health, career exploration, and navigating critical conversations with families.

Address:
705 S. New Street
Lawrence Center, Room 214 
West Chester, PA 19383

Hours of Operation: 9am - 4pm

Phone: 610-436-2122
Fax: 610-436-3160
Email: cwge@wcupa.edu

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