Mississippi High School Students Receive USA Funds-Sponsored College-Planning Guide

USA Funds^® has awarded a $25,000 grant to support the Parents & Kids College Planner for Mississippi residents.

The planner presents clear and easily understood information about seeking a college education, with the overall objective of encouraging more students to seek postsecondary education. This year marks the fifth year for the planner, distributed to all high school students at public and private schools throughout the state of Mississippi. The planner also is available through churches, community organizations and at events such as college fairs.  

The College Planner contains a wealth of information for high school students, based on input from organizations of parents and high school counselors. The following are among the materials included:

• Information about why to avoid dropping out of school, and economic costs associated with not going to postsecondary school.
• Detailed, month by month calendars of steps students need to take to get to college.
• Information about completing college applications, with templates for common requirements such as high school résumés and letters of acceptance or declination of admissions.
• Contact information for Mississippi colleges and universities.

“The College Planner is almost like a paper college fair,” says Gretchen Cook, publisher. “In a rural state like Mississippi, there are many small high schools. Sometimes the smaller schools have difficulty getting colleges to attend college and career days. The College Planner provides great information about the college application process, as well as information about the colleges who participate. 

“In many cases the Planner may be the primary instrument to introduce a student to a particular college.”

Parents & Kids, which coordinates the planner, was established in 1991 to disseminate information to parents. A part of Parents & Kids’ mission is to make life better for Mississippi children.

This year Parents & Kids produced 50,000 College Planners and shipped them to more than 350 Mississippi high schools. Additionally, as word has gotten out about the availability of the free publication, other education-focused entities are requesting copies. Parent & Kids will fulfill those requests, while supplies of the planner last. 

“The Parents & Kids College Planner is an excellent tool for Mississippi students and their parents as they plan for a postsecondary education,” says Kyle Malone, USA Funds access and outreach senior program officer. “We are pleased to support this initiative and the difference it is making in the lives of Mississippi students.”