Get Your Prep On
"Get Your Prep On" is a yearlong pre-collegiate outreach program that targets 9th grade students and families to provide information and resources about the benefits of higher education. Along with information this program provides step-by-step instructions on how to plan, prepare, pay for and pursue a college education. Get Your Prep On activities include:
- Quarterly student workshops in each partner school
- Parent information sessions held in partner schools and at community-based sites
- Direct mail campaign to students' homes
- College prep hotline for students and families
- Website support
- In-school student advising with a College Bound College Coach
Making The Grade
"Making the Grade" is a comprehensive academic enrichment program consisting of courses in math, language arts, weekly tutoring, AP study groups and skill-building workshops. The goal of Making the Grade is to give students the academic foundation to succeed in college level coursework at selective four-year institutions. Specifics of the program include:
- Weekly one-on-one tutoring sessions, AP study groups and in school small group tutoring
- Three-week summer institute in advanced mathematics and language arts
- Three-day math intensives over Spring Break
- One-week summer immersion and follow-up workshops on note-taking, organization, study skills and time management
- Workshops on essay writing and critical thinking
- Guidance on course selection to promote a rigorous college preparatory curriculum
- Consultation with family and teachers to create study plans and conduct ongoing check-ins
Culture, Character, Capacity
"Culture, Character, Capacity" is a wrap-around program that provides students with exposure to cultural events, community service and an ongoing "bank account" of financial, social service and mentoring resources. The goal of the 3C's are to provide students with the cultural capital to succeed in diverse higher education settings, to experience the power of service to others, and to mitigate the effects of social, financial and psychological hardship that disrupt students on their path to college success. Specifics on this program include:
- Residential programs on character building, leadership and citizenship
- Community service with Habitat for Humanity and Food Outreach
- Paid, for-credit and volunteer internships in government and local businesses
- Workshops with community partners on subjects such as mediation, conflict resolution, body image, healthy relationships, goal setting and stress management
- Weekly field trips to a wide variety of events, i.e., plays, concerts, museum exhibitions, political rallies
- Referrals to housing, health, crisis and other social service agencies on as-needed basis
- Stipends to at-risk students on a case-by-case basis
Admission Accomplished
"Admission Accomplished" is a college access program at the heart of which closely-knit cohort groups, theories of action that focus on college completion, guidance from professional counselors, a network of supportive relationships and tools to help students create high quality applications to four-year colleges. The goal of Admission Accomplished is to prepare students for selective colleges that closely match their interests, aptitude and financial resources. Specifics on this program include:
- Weekly classes on subjects ranging from college vocabulary, admission requirements and goal-setting to financial literacy, career exploration and personal learning styles
- ACT preparation courses taught by test professionals
- Personalized college guidance provided by professional college counselor
- Quarterly parent education sessions and family meetings
- One-on-one and small group workshops for electronic completion of financial aid forms
- College tours to visit a range of four-year higher education institutions in and out of state
- Workshops to help rising seniors apply to summer enrichment programs at colleges and universities
- Mentoring programs that match College Bound seniors with collegians
- Speaker series on degree-required professions, followed by job shadowing days
- A three-day residential college application workshop focusing on scholarship research, creating high quality college applications, activity profiles, personal statements and short answers
- On-going mentoring and process guidance