College Center - Program Info

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Reach for College!	Reach for College! 700 12th St. Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 Washington, DC, 20005 P: 202-246-7357 F: 301-762-8511 http://www.reachforcollege.org

Populations Served

First generation to attend college
High school students
Students/families with limited financial resources
Underrepresented minorities

Services Offered

Early college awareness and prep
SAT/ACT and other test prep
Financial aid counseling
Parent/family services
College success and retention support
College admissions guidance and counseling
College campus visits
Academic enrichment/tutoring
Scholarships & last dollar grants

Contact

Brenda N. Harvey
Co-Director
bharvey@reachforcollege.org

Program Description

Reach for College! works in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to help high school students reach their dreams of pursuing post-secondary education. Working in public high schools and public charter schools, Reach for College! provides books and curricular materials that walk students through college selection and application and boosts students’ academic skills so they’re ready for college. Additionally, we partner with community organizations serving youth.

Reach for College! provides training for teachers (and community organizations) to use the materials in their classes as part of their students’ regular school day. We also provide in-class support for teachers and students to ensure maximum success. In the class students study:

SAT prep
College selection & application
Career exploration and planning
College level reading & writing
Time management
Study skills
Financial aid application
Practical life skills—interviewing and banking

In addition to the materials and teacher instruction that we provide, Reach for College! also strongly believes in ongoing teacher and classroom support especially in the first year of implementation. This crucial component of the program ensures that teachers don’t get overwhelmed and that individual students don’t fall through the cracks. This support includes:

Guest speakers
Weekly email class tips and encouragement
Specific scholarship information
Individualized student assistance
Saturday Academy Program
Teacher-to-teacher sharing of best practices

Reach for College! also takes students on 1-3 college tours per year where they get a glimpse of the life they’re heading toward and where they continue to hear about the importance of post-secondary education.

Organization History

Co-Founder Deborah Insel started the predecessor organization to Reach for College! in Georgia in April, 1997, when she realized the critical need facing so many low-income students for college access information and assistance. When she relocated to the D.C. area in 2002, she brought the program here and started it in one D.C. school. Brenda Harvey was hired in 2003 as Assistant Director to continue to implement the program in more schools. The former organization, Helping Teens Succeed, continues its focus in Georgia.

In order to strengthen the program in Washington D.C. and to expand it with local influences and local applications, Brenda and Deborah co-founded Reach for College!

Reach for College! was incorporated and received its 501(c)(3) status in 2005 and has grown to provide its college access program to ten D.C. schools and three Prince George's County (MD) Schools in 2008-2009, serving over 4,000 students.

Partners and Supporters

In Washington, D.C. students are being served in at the following schools:

Dunbar Comprehensive

Dunbar Pre-Engineering

McKinley Technology

Cardozo Spingarn

H.D. Woodson

Washington Math, Science, and Technology Public Charter

IDEA Public Charter

Hospitality Public Charter

Booker T. Washington Public Charter

The Next Step Public Charter School (at Latin American Youth Center)

Maryland students (Prince George's County) are being served at:

Crossland High School

Potomac High

Gwynn Park High