It is never too early to prepare your child for college. In fact, the planning should begin before your child starts Elementary School instead of waiting until Middle School or High School.  In the Middle School years, you can begin discussing different career paths with your child. Next, you and your child can pick the right college or university that offers the best preparation for the chosen career. As the time draws closer to high school graduation, your child’s counselor will be the one who assists with the application process to the college of choice. There are many ways to secure financial aid support for your college-bound child, if you can not afford it. Parents may contact the college or university financial aid officers to apply for grants, scholarships, or loans. A college education is the best investment parents can make for their child’s future. Everyone can go to college if they have the desire, they work hard, and they take the required classes and tests.  The following links have been selected to guide you through your journey to college.

The trails are called:

Starting Point Trail
Plan for College Trail
Pay for College Trail
Career Trail

You can choose the Elementary Trail, the Middle School Trail, or the High School Trail to begin your college journey.
Getting Ready for College Early http://www.ed.gov/pubs/GettingReadyCollegeEarly/
Help Your Child Improve Test-Taking http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/TestTaking/index.html
Help Your Child Learn Responsible Behavior http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Behavior/index.html
Help Your Child Succeed In School http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Succeed/index.html
Help Your Child Use the Library http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Library/index.html
Preparándose a Tiempo Para la Universidad http://www.ed.gov/pubs/GRFC_Span/grfcspan.html
Relevant Research and Articles http://www.ed.gov/gearup/research.html
Parent Guide http://www.collegeboard.org/parents/
Succeed in Elementary www.ets.org/sppar.html#1sucelem
The California College Explorer http://www.californiacolleges.edu/
Preparing Your Child for College-A Resource Book for Parents from the U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov/pubs/Prepare/

 
Apply for Scholarships Online http://www.fastweb.com/
Calculating College Costs http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Prepare/pt4.html
California Student Aid Commission http://www.csac.ca.gov/default.asp?noflash=true
College Costs- A Field Guide http://www.ets.org/fpoints/index.html
Directory of Financial Aid http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Financial_Services/College_Financing/
Financial Aid http://www.ets.org/aid.html
Finding Out About Student Aid http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/financial.part.html
Funding Your Education http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FYE/FYE01/index.html
Hinson’s Scholarship and College financing Resource Guide http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dlhinson/scholar.htm
How Can I Receive Financial Aid for College? http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/financial.aid.k12.3.html
Looking for Student Aid http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/LSA/
Spot Scholarship Scams http://www.ets.org/scams.html
Strategies to meet your college savings. http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/family/college/1458.asp
Student Guide to Financial Aid Update Coming Soon
Student Market.com- Education Financing and Alternative Loans http://www.studentmarket.com/student-loans.html?source=goto
Tax Advice for College Financing http://www.taxhawk.com/school.html

Headhunter Job Search http://www.Headhunter.net/JobSeeker/Index.htm?siteid=cmhome
Job Web: Online Career Fair http://www.jobweb.com/
Mapping Your Future http://www.mapping-your-future.org/

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