You can support your child in several important ways for a successful high school career.
- Know your child’s class and Regents exam schedules.
Find out which classes and Regents exams your child needs to prepare for college. Make sure your teenager knows that earning good grades and taking Regents exams are essential, not optional. For example, in ninth grade your child should earn 11 credits and pass one Regents exam.
- Meet with teachers.
Meet regularly with your student’s teachers and guidance counselor. Make sure you know each teacher’s expectations and discuss your teenager’s academic progress and extracurricular activities. Keep an eye out for parent-teacher nights once a semester.
- Provide encouragement.
Provide encouragement and support so your teen can maintain good grades. Make sure your teen is doing homework every night. Support him or her by providing a quiet workspace and routines that allow enough time for schoolwork. Attendance is important, too, so set limits on bedtime and help your student get out the door on time each morning.
- Help with the college application process.
Help your student organize admissions applications, financial aid documents and other paperwork. Review deadlines together, and help your student keep ahead of them.
- Visit college campuses and fairs.
Visit college campuses and fairs with your teenager. Ask your child’s guidance counselor about opportunities to visit college campuses for free. Help your teenager create a list of college choices.
- Assist with the financial aid process.
Help your student understand the financial aid options. Attend parent financial aid and college workshops at your teenager’s school or neighborhood organization. Have copies of your federal and state tax forms ready by the end of January of your student’s senior year. These tax forms are essential for the financial aid applications your teenager will need to complete in February. Help your student with the financial aid applications. The earlier they are filed, the more money your student is likely to receive.
- Learn about application fee waivers.
Talk to your teen’s guidance counselor about opportunities to offset application costs and fee waivers that can help reduce the cost of applying to college.
- Investigate scholarships.
Use the scholarships section of this Web site, and see the New Visions Scholarship Guide for hundreds of scholarship opportunities.