Lesson 1: High School Overview
Parents: Get Involved & Start Your Financial Planning!
Parental Involvement
At this point in time, your child is adjusting to life as a teen and a high school student. Your job right now is to ensure that your child is taking the necessary courses for high school graduation, doing the best work s/he can. Make sure that you are aware of what services are offered by the high school and the local community. Your child should meet his/her guidance counselor at some point during the first semester. If parents are invited, plan on attending the meeting. If there is a Parent Teacher Association, check it out. Attend meetings as often as possible. If the school holds open houses or “Meet the Teacher” night, plan on participating. Get involved. Chances are because you are already inquiring about your child’s college career, you are the type of parent who gets involved. Don’t be afraid to participate.
Even if your child feels awkward about parental presence at school activities or meetings, most students actually feel better when their parents are in tune to their needs and activities. Browse some college catalogs, just to get the feel for what colleges require. Find out what the high school’s four year plan is for your child’s education.
Preliminary Financial Planning
See what types of financial aid are available to high school students. There are some scholarships and essay competitions which are open to high school students. This not only gives your child some practice; it could also give them an edge in later competitive applications. Rule of thumb: let your child apply for every scholarship/grant that s/he is eligible for. Enroll in all the free educational vendor-sponsored promotional programs which encompass products/services that you use.
There are many opportunities for even freshmen to begin banking money for college. Some are based on grades, others on sports or activities, still more on community service. It's never too early to start looking for potential scholarship/grant money.
