A first-of-its kind workshop for high school teens in foster care who would like to attend college will be held on Saturday, June 7 at Farmingdale State College. The free event, A Road Map for College: A Guide for College-bound Teens in Foster Care, is scheduled for 10 am – 12:30 pm in the Campus Center. It is being presented in conjunction with the EAC Network’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties Family Court Advocate Programs, and the Long Island Education Opportunity Center at the college.
Among the key topics covered will be a session on finding funding for college, with an emphasis on loans, grants and scholarships. Other sessions for students and their foster parents will focus on working with your high school guidance counselor, earning college credits, preparing for the SAT and ACT tests, how to search for and apply to colleges, attending college fairs and more.
“Foster-care high school students is a population that are basically neglected in terms of getting information about their benefits for college,” said Dr. Veronica Henry, Farmingdale’s Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer, and co-organizer of the event. “Most students feel like they don’t have the money, so they can’t go to college. When foster-care students attend a college or career event at school they are not going to raise their hand and say ‘I’m a foster-care child and what are some of the special benefits for me.’ So we want to engage them in this program.”
EAC Network is a not-for-profit organization that provides numerous services and programs for children in foster care, with the goal of bringing about meaningful positive changes in their lives and providing a chance for permanency and a successful transition to adulthood.
Reservations are required to attend the event. Students and their parents may register for the workshop by sending an email to Dawne.Smith@eacinc.org by Friday, May 30.
