USA Parents Offers College-Preparation Support for Indianapolis Students and Families

USA Funds^® has provided a $109,000 grant to USA Parents. The grant is part of USA Funds’ three-year, $300,000 commitment to this initiative. USA Parents, a program for parents and guardians of students involved in Science Bound, provides information, resources, enrichment and encouragement.

Science Bound is a collaborative initiative that encourages underrepresented Indianapolis Public Schools students in seventh-through-12th grades to enroll in and graduate with degrees in the fields of science, technology and engineering from Purdue University. The Science Bound initiative is sponsored by IPS, Purdue and the Indianapolis business community.

Since the inception of Science Bound in 2002, approximately 60 students have been admitted to the program each year. The program's current enrollment is 160. If students maintain 3.0 grade-point averages and gain admission in approved fields of study, upon high-school graduation they receive full-tuition scholarships to Purdue.

The first class of the Science Bound program will graduate from high school in 2007. These students began participating in Science Bound as middle-school students. After three years in the program, 39 high-school juniors now meet the 3.0 grade-point-average requirement to be involved in the program.

To promote the success of participants, USA Funds partners with Purdue to sponsor USA Parents. In addition to its educational-support component, USA Parents offers various programs for parents, to help build stronger family relationships and enhance the home environment.

Parents meet monthly at an Indianapolis middle school. Although the meetings cover a variety of topics, all focus on assisting the parents of children who participate in Science Bound.

Kyle Malone, USA Funds manager of scholarships and philanthropy, discussed the college-admissions process during the November parent meeting. He also presented USA Funds Unlock the Future^®, an early awareness program that introduces students and their families to the many educational options available to them.

“It’s obvious that these parents are highly engaged,” says Malone. “They were interested in learning how to help their children prepare for the future and what they could do to keep them on track.”

Parents have formed an advisory council that meets quarterly to provide input on programming and generate ideas for educational opportunities.

“We are dedicated to providing the highest quality of support and educational experiences to keep parents engaged and committed,” says George Okantey, USA Parents program director. “We provide interactive asset-building experiences and maintain a nonthreatening, friendly learning environment.”

The USA Parents program also offers educational benefits for participating adults. Among the benefits are reimbursement for college credits, computer-literacy classes, and overnight retreats at Purdue to help them learn more about biology, chemistry, electrical engineering and space science.