Welfare-to-work initiatives drive social service recipients into education and training programs by linking program participation to social service benefits such as cash aid and housing. These programs are bringing greater numbers of single-parent women into community college settings. The author describes a qualitative study of eight female community college students who participated in the Job Opportunity and Basic Skills Program of the Department of Social Services in a southwestern state. The findings indicate that relationships women have with teachers and caseworkers can be distinguished by both growth promoting and hindering characteristics. College personnel validated the women's worth, and exposure to college created a shift in their identities: the women expressed the desire to establish new identities as students and future wage earners rather than as welfare recipients.
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