The number of women enrolling in Post-Secondary Education (PSE) is on the rise, except for women of color and for women on public assistance. Restrictive Welfare-to- Work policies, a lack of resources, and the effects of race and gender may be impacting their educational goals. There is a gap in the literature regarding TANF/CalWORKs students and their academic barriers. To address this gap, focus groups and individual interviews of 20 CalWORKs students from a community college were conducted. The research questions were: 1. What barriers to academic success did female, single parent TANF/ CalWORKs students experience in community college? 2. What strategies did female, single parent TANF/CalWORKs students use to contend with the barriers? Using a continuous comparison method, five themes emerged: (a) Mental Health Erosion, (b) Perceptions of Support, (c) A Failing System: Welfare-to-Work, (d) Finding Support, and (e) Taking Back Control. Findings indicated participants first developed protective strategies such as "don't ask," for any support, and "don't tell" anyone about receiving public assistance. Later, participants demonstrated an adaptive model to surviving college. The students also worked to create a college identity. Future studies might review: (a) assessments offered by the Department of Social Services and colleges regarding academic needs or readiness of these students, and (b) knowledge and use of resources by these students. Progressive Welfare-to-Work policies could support TANF/CalWORKs students to reach their academic endeavors, thus improving their employability and indirectly reducing recidivism
