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
Resource 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/
Parent Guide http://www.collegeboard.org/parents/
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
California College Explorer http://www.californiacolleges.edu/
Help Your Gifted Child Plan for College http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/Help_My_gifted_child.html
Planning College for the Gifted and Talented http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/college_planning.html
Preparing Your Child for College-A Resource Book for Parents from the U.S. Department of Education www.ed.gov/pubs/Prepare/
Starting Points www.ets.org/sppar.html#1sucelem
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/
Making a Transition from High School to Career http://www.ets.org/sppar.html#3trnhsc
Mapping Your Future http://www.mapping-your-future.org/

 

 

 Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID):
AVID is a high expectation, no frills program that focuses on raising student academic performance by working with students “in the academic middle.” )
www.avidcenter.org
Bakersfield City Middle Schools participate in the AVID program:

Emerson Middle School:  www.bcsd.k12.ca.us/emerson/
Sierra Middle School:  www.bcsd.k12.ca.us/sierra/
Washington Middle School:  www.bcsd.k12.ca.us/washington/

Local Colleges and Universities:

Bakersfield College
1801 Panorama Dr.
Bakersfield, California 93305
661.395.4011
http://www.bc.cc.ca.us/

California State University, Bakersfield
9001 Stockdale Highway
Bakersfield, California 93311-1099
Admissions Info: 661.664.3036
http://www.csubak.edu/

University of California Merced, Bakersfield Center
2000 K Street, Suite 300
Bakersfield, Ca. 93301
661.861.7941
www.ucmerced.edu
www.ucinthevalley.org

University of California, Santa Barbara
Early Outreach Program
6540 Pardall Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
661.324.6291
giffin-murphy-r@sa.ucsb.edu
Library Resources Bibliography:

The Black student’s guide to scholarships: 700+ money sources for Black and minority students/ed. by Barry Beckham, 1999
The college money handbook: the only complete guide to scholarships, college costs/Petersons, annual ed.
The complete family guide to college financial aid/Richard Black, 1995
Entrance counseling guide for borrowers/U.S. Dept. of Ed., annual ed.
Financial aid for students with disabilities/U.S. Dept. of Ed., annual ed.
Financial aid: the student guide from the U.S. Dept. of Ed./Student Financial Assistance Programs, annual ed.
Free money for college/Laurie Blum, 1999
Grants for higher education/Foundation Center, various years

The higher education moneybook for women and minorities/Doris Marie Bruce-Young, 1997

How and where to get financial aid for college/Robert L. Bailey, 1986
Minority financial aide directory: a guide to more than 4,000 educational scholarships, loans, grants, and fellowships to African Americans, Asian American, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and other minorities/Lemuel Berry, Jr., 1995
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