Preparing your Children for Higher Education
It is never too early to start preparing your child for college.
In fact, the entire goal of preparing a child for higher
education can be simplified into one term: Foster a love of
learning.
If you can do that for a child, you give them the greatest gift
and strongest tools to carry with them for the rest of their
lives.
As parents, we have the greatest influence on our children
over anyone else who may come in contact with them.
Although at times it may seem like we are fighting with the
rest of the world for our children’s minds, we are constantly
shaping them day in and day out.
The most successful student, in fact the most successful
people are focused on the big picture. They don’t earn good
grades for immediate rewards, such as cash or prizes. They
earn good grades for the intrinsic and inherent satisfaction
that comes with success. They learn out of curiosity and a
desire to understand. They seek out new knowledge. And in
so doing, they inspire their own curiosity.
The goal of an education is to learn. It is not to get a degree
or a grade, or anything else. If you can inspire your children
to want to earn a college education rather than make them
get a degree, you will have given them the greatest gift in the
world.
By Jeremy Teitelbaum
Elementary School
Pre-Kindergarten
Inspire a love of learning in children by making everything a
learning experience. Encourage them to explore their world.
When they ask questions, show them how the answers can
be found. Let them see you learning as well. Read to your
children often. Surround them with books and other learning
materials. Remember it doesn’t take expensive toys to
inspire learning. Pens and paper allow creativity. Stacking
boxes works as well as name brand toys.
Kindergarten and Grade 1
Show your child how valuable school is. Make special areas
on the refrigerator for school work. Talk often about the
experience of education. Ask the child to teach you what
they learned in school. This shows them that learning is an
interactive and ongoing process that doesn’t end when
school is over.
Create special places and times for doing schoolwork.
Continue to read together every day.
Grades 2 and 3
Since children will be getting homework in these grades,
make homework time a priority. Such as, no video games or
television until the homework is done. This shows that
schoolwork should be a priority (and is much easier to
enforce in later years).
Help the children with homework by doing your own
research. Begin teaching them how to use a dictionary,
reference books, and the computer.
Preparing your Children for Higher Education
Grades 4 and 5.
Encourage your child to challenge him or herself
academically, develop good study habits, and become
involved in school-and community-based extracurricular
activities.
A positive school experience that is both academically
challenging and rich in extracurricular activities is important
in itself and as preparation for college. Teach children to
balance sports, school, and extracurricular activities. Don’t
punish them by not letting them attend practice because
homework isn’t finished. Instead use it as a learning
opportunity to teach balancing the various commitments.
Skipping out on one commitment for another teaches
children that it’s ok to break those commitments. In the end
they will suffer by learning to quit when they don’t find that
balance.
Discuss career and college options with your child and
encourage his or her aspirations.
Many students assume that higher education is not for them
or that the jobs they are interested in don't require college.
Encourage your child to aim high, explore all the options,
and plan to attend college.
Make sure your child starts on a college preparatory track in
middle school or junior high. If students don't take the right
courses in middle school, they may be shut out of the
college preparatory track in high school. The U.S.
Department of Education recommends that middle and junior
high school students take Algebra I in 8th Grade, Geometry
in 9th Grade, and English, Science, and History or
Geography every year. Foreign language, computer, and
visual or performing art classes are also recommended.
Junior High School
Grade 6
Meet with the school counselor and tell the counselor that
your goal is to attend college. Select classes that will help
you prepare for college. Develop good study habits and aim
for grades of A or B in all of your classes.
Help your students with homework, but encourage them to
develop independent and critical thinking skills through
reading, writing, solving problems and asking questions.
Give them more freedom and responsibility with their
schoolwork.
Visit college athletic and arts events. Spend time on the
campus. Cheer for the team in your child’s favorite sport.
Expose them to the arts and sciences on campus.
Plan a daily homework schedule and stick to it. Do more
than is required.
Ask your family or friends to read your written work. And ask
them for help if you're having trouble at school.
Use your local library. If you don't have a library card now,
ask the librarian for one. They're free.
Read newspapers and magazines. Talk with your family and
friends about what you read.
Look up words you don't know in the dictionary. Then use
your new words in writing and while talking.
Talk with your family about career plans and what you want
to do in the future.
Grade 7
Visit the school counselor in the fall and ask the counselor to
help you select classes that will prepare you for college.
Take English and mathematics; such as pre-algebra. Try to
earn grades of A or B and put extra effort into English and
math.
Ask the school counselor if your student is reading and doing
math at grade level work. If not look for tutoring and support
opportunities.
Start saving for college. Why? Even a few dollars a week will
impress upon your children the importance of making a
commitment to get a college education. Help your kids find
ways to earn money (like babysitting, yard work, odd jobs)
so they can start saving part of their earnings for college.
Consider opening a college savings account.
Grade 8
Find out if the school takes part in the Mathematics
Diagnostic Testing Project, a readiness assessment test that
determines if students are prepared to take Algebra.
Take pre-algebra or Algebra I and a foreign language
course.
Work towards grades of A or B in all of your classes. Doing
well in your coursework will improve your chances of getting
into college (and the college of your choice).
Stay focused on your classes and on your homework.
Keeping up with your homework will help you master the
study skills you need to be successful in high school and
college.
Ask counselor about taking EXPLORE, an online
assessment testing program offered by American College
Testing (ACT). EXPLORE is coordinated and administered
by the school. The program helps students focus on
academic achievement, educational plans, and career
possibilities. See www.act.org/explore for more information.
Meet with the school counselor and/or teachers to see how
your student is doing in his or her classes.
Visit college campuses. Talk to neighbors, relatives, or
friends with students in college to learn about their
experiences.
Attend college information programs at the middle school.
Representatives from different schools will share information
on programs, scholarships and financial aid.
Talk to your kids about the importance of studying hard and
getting good grades to prepare for high school and college.
Develop habits now that will help you succeed in high
school, in education after high school, and in the world of
work.
High School
Grade 9
Prepare for upper grades by starting high school with a
bang. Take prerequisites for AP classes. Get involved with
extra curricular activities right away.
Meet with a guidance counselor to map out your child's high
school curriculum and familiarize yourself with the college
admissions and financial aid processes. If your child has
taken the right courses in middle school, he or she should be
ready for a college preparatory curriculum in high school.
Grade 10
Think about selecting a school, finding out about the different
types. Decide which characteristics are most important to
you, such as the size of the school, distance from home,
cost, and extracurricular activities.
Prepare to take standardized admissions tests. Take the
PSAT now in preparation for next year.
Grade 11
Gather information from college. Request brochures and
catalogs, attend college fairs, and begin college visits.
Take the standardized tests. Retake the PSAT for a shot at a
National Merit Scholarship, and take the SAT and ACT in the
spring.
Your high school guidance counselor should also be able to
provide you with information on the college admissions and
financial aid processes, or point you toward the right r
Help your children research colleges and narrow their
options based on their interests, major, learning style,
desired living situation, and personal goals.
Grade 12
Finish gathering information on schools, select four to six
you like best, and apply for admission. Retake the SAT and
ACT if you aren't satisfied with your first results.
Apply for financial aid by filling out the FAFSA (Free
Application for Federal Student Aid). Consider all of your
options for paying for school. Find out about scholarships
and grants before taking out a student loan.
Learn what it takes to be successful in college.
There are many resources available, both in print and on the
Internet, to help you search for colleges by special
characteristics or academic offerings and learn about
specific colleges (check out the Choosing the Right College
Resource Library). After you've done some initial research is
the right time to add any special considerations, such as
price, distance from home, or religious affiliation, to your
child's list of college options.
Although it is important to make these decisions before your
child has his or her heart set on a specific college,
eliminating schools before you have hard information may
limit your child's choices unnecessarily. For example—after
financial aid is taken into consideration—a private college
can cost about the same as a public institution. Without that
information, you might overlook a college that would be a
good fit for your child simply because of an incorrect
understanding of the cost.
Make sure your child takes any required college admissions
tests and submits all admissions, financial aid, and–if
necessary–campus housing paperwork on time.
Meeting all the requirements of applying for college is a good
lesson in itself, but most students will require some help.
Setting up a calendar with all the various tasks and
deadlines can be very helpful for both you and your child.
Learn all you can about financial aid and assist your child in
filling out the application forms. Most financial aid comes in
the form of grants and scholarships or low-interest loans.
The federal government, states, colleges, and private
organizations all sponsor student aid programs. Colleges will
provide you with the forms you need to apply for most
federal, state, and college aid, and are a great source of
information about the various types of aid available.
In addition, many books and websites are available to help
you search and apply for private scholarships. In most
cases, you will have to supply some information about your
family's income and assets on financial aid application forms,
so be sure to have those records assembled. Visit
the Paying for College Resource Library for more information
on print and Internet resources that can help you to learn
more about this complicated—but vitally important—topic.
Devise a budget with your child and determine how much
will be covered by financial aid, how much you'll provide, and
how much your child will contribute by working and/or
borrowing. After you've received your financial aid award
statements, it's essential to sit down with your child and
make a realistic budget that includes both fixed expenses,
such as tuition and books, and variable items such as rent,
clothing, and transportation. Once you have completed your
budget and subtracted the grant and scholarship aid your
child has been awarded, you can determine how much you
will contribute and how much your child will have to come up
with from savings, earnings, and student loans. Your child
could end up working long hours while in college or
borrowing more than she really needs unless she
puts herself on a budget and makes conscious decisions
about how she'll meet her financial obligations.
