Elementary School College & Career Readiness
Elementary College & Career Readiness
Effective college and career readiness counseling begins in kindergarten and continues through high school. In elementary school, we are laying the foundation for the work of College & Career Readiness in middle and high schools.
The National Office for School Counseling Advocacy (NOSCA) provides ideas for parents of elementary age students to meet the six standards for College & Career Readiness.
College Aspirations
- Help your child develop a positive engagement in school and build high aspirations.
- Help your child get to school on time every day. Attendance matters!
- Introduce your child to the world around them and connect their likes and interests to their community.
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Academic Planning for College & Career Readiness
- Support your child academically, help them engage in school, chart their knowledge and skill development, and encourage social interactions that lay the foundation for college and career readiness.
- Create a positive and productive learning environment at home, including showing interest in what your child is learning and having a quiet space for homework.
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Enrichment and Extracurricular Engagement
- Support your child’s participation in enrichment and extracurricular
activities.
- Develop academic and activity calendars and use portfolios to highlight your student’s accomplishments.
- Participate in and support school-sponsored enrichment and extracurricular activities, like field trips to museums, colleges, competitions, plays, and concerts.
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College & Career Exploration and Selection Processes
- Encourage early academic and workforce readiness skills by creating consistent routines that reinforce character and skill-building, such as getting-ready patterns.
- Participate in your Parent Teacher Association (PTA), as well as to adopt
leadership roles that fit with your abilities, talents and interests as a parent.
- Cultivate their children’s interests by paying close attention to their activities during non-school time and talking with their children about how their interests are related to school success and career opportunities.
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College & Career Assessments
- Assist your child in developing a positive perspective on assessments as tools for gathering information and learning about themselves.
- Create a positive home environment that helps your child plan for assessments while reducing test anxiety, encouraging positive engagement and highlighting students’ strengths.
- Visit with your school counselor about potential college and career assessments/inventories that are available in middle school.
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College Affordability Planning
- Help your child develop early awareness of financial literacy, including the use of piggy banks and allowances.
- Begin a saving’s account for your child and visit with him or her about the importance of saving.
- Learn about the difference between favorable and unfavorable debt as you plan for their child’s future.
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