Register now for upcoming College Ready Florida initiatives

Aug 16, 2016 | Events, Initiatives

When is the right time to start planning college access activities for your students? Right now! Help more students continue their educations after high school by signing up your school, district or community to participate in these College Ready Florida initiatives:

Apply Yourself Florida
October 2016
**Register here**

Apply Yourself Florida (Florida College Application Week), part of the American College Application Campaign, aspires for every high school senior to apply to at least one postsecondary institution (2-year or 4-year college, certificate program or vocational school). Schools dedicate time and space during the school day to help seniors complete at least one college application with the support of trained volunteers from the school and community and hold weeklong, school-wide activities that help to build a college-going culture for all students. Schools and communities can designate any week in October or early November for their event.

Florida CAN offers a variety of supports to help you plan a successful Apply Yourself Florida event:

  • Apply Yourself Florida! Site Coordinator Planning Guide provides you with an action plan, templates and strategies for hosting an event.
  • Apply Yourself Florida! Student Guide helps your students navigate the college application process from start to finish.
  • Promotional materials (such as “I Applied” stickers and event posters), which are available to sites that register on a first come, first served basis.
  • One-on-one technical assistance from Florida CAN staff.
  • In-person or virtual trainings for site coordinators on how to hold a successful event.

Florida FAFSA Challenge
October 2016  – March 2017
**Register here**

Florida FAFSA Challenge strives to boost the number of high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which helps students qualify for Pell Grants and other forms of federal and state financial aid. The Florida FAFSA Challenge encourages all Florida schools and districts to set a completion goal 5% higher than the prior year, or alternatively, set a goal that better fits their school’s unique circumstances. Participating schools will have from October 1, 2016 through March 31, 2017 to complete the challenge. Unlike past years, the FAFSA will become available on October 1, 2016 and for the first time, families will use their prior year’s tax return to complete the form.
Florida CAN will celebrate the progress and success of schools that make significant improvements in FAFSA completion for their graduating seniors, with trophies awarded to the schools and districts that have the highest FAFSA completion rate, the most improved completion rate, and show the largest one-week improvement. All schools that set and meet their own unique goal or achieve the 5% goal by March 31, 2017 will also be recognized.
Florida CAN offers a variety of tools that can help you achieve your FAFSA completion goal:
  • FAFSA Completion Toolkit, a one-stop guide that includes resources and strategies to improve FAFSA completion.
  • Florida FAFSA Finish Line data dashboard, an interactive tool to help your school or district set a FAFSA completion goal and track progress toward your goal.
  • Periodic leaderboards that show the schools and districts making the biggest strides in FAFSA completion.
  • One-on-one technical assistance from Florida CAN staff.

Apply Yourself Florida and the Florida FAFSA Challenge are part of a suite of statewide initiatives collectively called College Ready Florida. The initiatives, which also include Florida College Decision Day, are designed to build a college-going culture and help all high school students, especially low-income students and those who are the first in their families to go to college, continue their educations beyond high school.

To learn more about College Ready Florida, please visit the Florida Initiatives page of the Florida CAN website or contact Arianna Pineiro, Florida CAN’s Special Projects Coordinator, at apineiro@floridacollegeaccess.org.

College Ready Florida is made possible thanks to the support of the Helios Education Foundation and Swift Family Foundation.

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