The unit, Parenting is a Job, Too, is the last unit in every CareerKit. In addition to the paid work some students might do, many also have the unpaid job of parenting. This unit contains articles, graphs, infographics, brochures and other text types that convey information about what to expect at each stage of child development, health guidelines, and the benefits to children when their parents further their education, among others.

Many of the activities draw on local city messaging, such as the importance of talking to babies, even before they seem to understand, how to get lead testing for infants, or how to choose a school. Some activities take a local public information poster, pair it with a more detailed informational text on the same topic, followed by comprehension questions, such as in the sequence below.

Poster on Talking to Babies

Informational Text

Written Analysis of the Text

This sequence of activities also includes vocabulary practice.

Another text is about the multi-generational benefits to families when parents further their education. The article shows research on the benefits to children, including the increased likelihood of children earning high school diplomas when their parents have also earned high school equivalency diplomas.

Once students read and discuss the article, they practice persuasive writing and citing evidence, as they write a letter to a friend about why they should continue their education, citing evidence from the article.

Parenting is a Job, Too, is full of activities that students who are parents can relate to and benefit from, in addition to the embedded skills practice that will help them make progress toward their academic goals.