About Us

Pittsburgh Scholar House is a social impact organization composed of a community of experts with both the lived and technical experience needed to help single parents provide economic security for their children. Our partners have extensive experience in human services, community and economic development, higher education, early learning access, and philanthropy, which allows Pittsburgh Scholar House to empower families as they increase their economic mobility and improve their quality of life.

Pittsburgh Scholar House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to help families building a cycle of prosperity. We support single parents and their children in breaking the cycle of generational poverty by providing academic support, empowering single parents to improve their economic circumstances, and offering enrichment services to strengthen family relationships. This three-pronged approach helps participating families thrive as they work to achieve their goals.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating in the Pittsburgh region, we help participating families achieve their educational goals, access employment opportunities, and develop the knowledge and skills needed to maintain their physical, mental, and financial health.

We are an affiliate of the Family Scholar House, a Kentucky nonprofit that opened more than 20 years ago. We’re bringing their two-generation approach to Pittsburgh families, ensuring that single mothers and their children have access to the supportive services they need to break the cycle of generational poverty.

The Pittsburgh Scholar House recognizes that building strong social and economic foundations for families requires much more than a few workshops or coaching sessions.

Although we emphasize the importance of obtaining a college degree, we offer a wide range of complementary services to ensure participating adults have the knowledge and skills they need to serve as positive role models for their children.

Successful participants are highly motivated to complete two-year or four-year degrees, giving them the educational foundation they need to build successful careers. Once an adult has a good job with a steady paycheck, they need to know how to make good financial decisions. Pittsburgh Scholar House offers programs designed to increase financial literacy and ensure that single parents know how to minimize their expenses and save as much money as possible for the future.

We also provide supportive services to ensure that children in the program have access to high-quality early learning opportunities.

What children learn when they are young sets the stage for everything they learn later in life. By providing as many educational opportunities as possible, Pittsburgh Scholar House helps participating children develop a love of learning that will carry them through elementary school, high school, and college or trade school.

Finally, Pittsburgh Scholar House offers services to help participating families improve their health and build social capital that can help them navigate a variety of personal and professional situations with confidence. As participants build social capital, they have access to additional networking opportunities, ensuring that they have plenty of peer support as they work toward their goals. A high level of social capital can also help participants form relationships with professional mentors and advance their careers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pittsburgh Scholar House

Our program is designed for single, head-of-household mothers who are committed to completing a college degree. Participating parents must have at least one child under the age of 18 and meet the income eligibility requirements to enroll in WayFinders Academy and other Pittsburgh Scholar House programs.

Yes. It is absolutely clear that obtaining a college degree improves economic mobility and puts single-parent families on firmer financial footing. In 2016, the poverty rate among single mothers would have declined by more than three times the rate over the previous 10 years if just 25% of single mothers who graduated from high school went on to complete some type of college degree.

Although higher education improves a family’s financial circumstances, it does not address other contributors to poverty, such as poor health outcomes, generational trauma, or lack of financial literacy. Local families need the program provided by Pittsburgh Scholar House to improve their physical and psychological well-being, heal from past traumas, and learn how to manage their finances in a way that increases economic stability.

Absolutely. Pittsburgh Scholar House is a new nonprofit, but study after study demonstrates the positive effects of providing educational opportunities and support services to help lift families out of poverty. For example, once a single parent earns a college degree, their children are 90% more likely to experience poverty, breaking the vicious cycle and ensuring children have access to opportunities their parents never had.

Earning a four-year degree also increases a single parent’s lifetime earnings by more than $600,000. That’s $600,000 that they can invest in a child’s education, a home in a safe neighborhood, or developing skills that are applicable to a career in health care, finance, technology, or another rewarding field. As single parents increase their income, we also provide the support they need to build financial management capacity and make decisions that will benefit their children for years to come.