Upcoming Panel: Supporting Children of Incarcerated Parents in Educational Systems
Last semester, The UnLocked Project hosted a powerful panel on resilience among children of incarcerated parents. This semester, we’re continuing that conversation with a new focus: how we can better support children of incarcerated parents in educational settings.
📅 Date: Thursday, May 1st
🕠 Time: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Jiménez Hall 0220, University of Maryland
This panel was inspired by research from our team that highlights how parental incarceration significantly disrupts a child’s educational experience. Children with incarcerated parents face stigma, lower expectations from teachers, and greater academic challenges such as grade repetition, chronic absences, and suspensions.
These barriers often go unnoticed in educational spaces, which is why our panel seeks to bring them into the light. We want to challenge these narratives, build awareness, and explore how educators, students, and communities can become stronger advocates and support systems for children who are too often overlooked.
We’re proud to welcome an incredible lineup of guest speakers who bring a powerful mix of lived experience, academic insight, and policy knowledge. Their backgrounds reflect a deep commitment to advocacy, education, and systems change—and together, they offer a powerful lens into the challenges and opportunities that exist for children with incarcerated parents. Meet the panelists below:
Moderating the discussion are two of our very own, Rip Cornish and Athena Garcia, whose welcoming presence and leadership will help foster a powerful and engaging discussion.
Whether you’re an educator, student, community member, or advocate, we invite you to join us for this important discussion. Our goal is to leave attendees with not only a better understanding of the educational impact of parental incarceration but also practical ways to foster more inclusive and empathetic learning environments.
🎟️ RSVP to Save Your Spot + Enjoy Free Pizza!
We’re providing free pizza for attendees, so help us plan food and seating by letting us know you’re coming. We would love to have you there!
👉 Click here to RSVP or scan the QR code.
