At the College Prep Academy, we know how important and valuable our parents are in the process of career and college planning. This past year- through a grant from the Voya Pinkerton and Meringoff Foundations- we have been able to expand our outreach and services to our parents. As a result, our high school seniors completed the college application and financial aid processes almost stress-free this year. Parents as partners in this process has clearly impacted the success our work with seniors, evident to us daily as the acceptances and financial aid awards come in!
Research and experience have shown that our teens are, for the most part, not always prepared to make some of the crucial life decisions required for college without parental and family support. Recent articles highlight how well we have progressed in preparing students academically for college, often ignoring the vital life skills needed to succeed on their own.
Through our regularly scheduled College Planning Parent Workshops we have become very aware of how concerned our parents are about the key life skills their children may be lacking and how they can begin to introduce these skills, given that their children now perceive themselves young adults.
A core group of parents requested to meet more regularly to discuss such topics as doing the laundry, balancing a check book, responsible driving and personal safety. We applaud our parents for their hard work and continuing support as we work together to prepare our seniors for the successful transition to college.