WHITE PLAINS LIBRARY RECEIVES $25,000 GRANT FROM ALLSTATE FOR “FIRST TO GO TO COLLEGE” BILINGUAL PROGRAM AIMED AT HELPING MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS SELECT COLLEGES, APPLICATION, PROCEDURES.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From the White Plains Library Foundation. September 15, 2016: 

Parents and their children who will be the first in their families to go to college will get some much-needed help in making those dreams a reality thanks to a $25,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation to the White Plains Library Foundation in partnership with Latino U College Access.

The program, First Steps to College, a bilingual program,  targets middle school students and their parents and will feature a series of workshops and information sessions to help guide them through the process of planning for college.

First Steps to College starts in October at the White Plains Public Library. For information on dates and times now in the process of being scheduled, contact Nancy Rubino of the White Plains Library Foundation at 914-422-1495.

“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with The Allstate Foundation, who have already made such a difference in the lives of first generation, college bound students,” said Library Director Brian Kenney.  “Most college prep takes place during the high school years. But in this program, we’ll be targeting parents and children even earlier—in middle school. It’s great to work with an organization like Latino U College Access, which grew up here in Westchester to meet exactly these needs.”

“As a national leader dedicated to empowering young people, The Allstate Foundation provides youth with resources that help them build confidence, achieve academic success, and become more engaged citizens” said Kayla Taylor, New York Allstate Foundation Spokesperson.  “We are proud to continue our partnership with the White Plains Public Library to provide college readiness programs that focus on middle school students who will be the first in their families to attend college.”

First Steps to College Program will include bi-lingual information sessions for parents and a series of afterschool workshops for students in grades 6 – 8.

Topics  IN the FIRST STEPS TO COLLEGE program will include:

Thinking about College, What a College Education Can Do for Me, Paying for College, and more.  Programs will include opportunities for participants to talk with college advisors and college students who are also the first in their families to pursue higher education. 

Bi-lingual Information sessions for parents will focus primarily on speakers of Spanish; the workshops for students will be conducted in English and open to any ‘first gen’ students in middle school.

The White Plains Library Foundation, a non-profit organization, was incorporated in 1995 to raise funds to help meet the long-range goals of the White Plains Public Library. The Foundation supports initiatives that promote literacy, educational achievement, career development, and lifelong learning. 

For more information ON TIMES, DATES OF THE FIRST STEPS TO COLLEGE PROGRAM IN OCTOBER, visit www.whiteplainslibrary.org

Founded by Westchester County resident, Shirley Acevedo Buontempo, Latino U College Access is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase college enrollment and completion rates among Latino youth who are first in their families to go to college.  The organization provides access and guidance to educational opportunity through education, outreach, collaboration and advocacy, enabling students to reach their full academic and life potential. www.latinou.org

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