The Florida Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) has been an important partner for schools, helping many parents and students learn how to pay for college.
OSFA also provides a number of training and supports for school counselors and college advisors on topics like state scholarships and grants, how to host a financial aid night, and resources for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
New for this school year — following a restructuring of their services — OSFA now has many of its supports centralized in Tallahassee, as well as on the NavigatingYourFinancialFuture.org website.
One of the new features is the Speakers’ Bureau, which OSFA is able to offer by partnering with state colleges and universities. This service connects local financial aid experts with schools and other groups that wish to host a financial aid event.
If your school is interested in hosting a financial aid workshop through the Speakers Bureau, you can use this link to submit that event to OSFA’s master calendar. OSFA will then use this information to match your event with an available speaker.
According to a recent update from OSFA, over 160 events took place in September and October since the Speakers’ Bureau was first launched.
Are you at a financial aid office and want to sign up for the Speakers Bureau? Sign up here to be matched with a local high school or community group requesting a financial aid overview. Currently, 25-30 colleges and universities have signed up to add financial aid staff to the list of potential speakers.
In addition to the Speakers Bureau, OSFA also offers a Financial Aid Overview Video that will be available online or on DVD. This option is perfect for both small events, events in remote areas, and events that are planned on a short timeline.
If you are interested in leading your own financial aid workshops, OSFA also offers Train-the-Trainer Sessions and Financial Aid Night/FAFSA Lab Coaching. For information on training and coaching sessions, contact Pedro Hernandez at pedro.hernandez@fldoe.org or Jan Smith at jan.smith@fldoe.org.
Finally, OSFA will offer webinars throughout the school year. These webinars will cover a variety of financial aid topics.
For more information about OSFA’s outreach services, contact Jan Smith at jan.smith@fldoe.org.