Background

The Philadelphia Education Fund's College Access Program provides school-based direct services to over 3,000 low-income youth each year. The program's coordinators offer college awareness and readiness services in 21 public middle and high schools in the School District of Philadelphia.

The College Access Program also directs three community-based centers--located in North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and the Gallery Shopping Mall in Center City-- serving an additional 8,000 youth and adults annually at the centers, at community workshops and at neighborhood sites. College Access also provides over $800,000 annually in Last Dollar Scholarships through the Philadelphia Scholars Program.

Services

Every year College Access serves 3,000 students in 12 high schools and their feeder nine middle schools based primarily in North Philadelphia and West Philadelphia. Services to students begin in 6th grade and continue through the senior year of high school. These services range from guiding middle school students through career awareness and study skills development, to assisting seniors with all aspects of financing college, to helping school faculty create a school-wide college going culture. Beyond the 3,000 target students, coordinators present workshops for entire classrooms and plan school-wide events, greatly increasing their reach and influence while still focusing on individual students for intensive services.
The College Access Program also operates three community-based Centers in West, North, and Center City Philadelphia that serve a population of adult and school-aged college-bound individuals from the community at large. The staff provides guidance and access to college reference materials, computer labs, financial aid and scholarship information, on-line “virtual” campus tours, and standardized testing information for over 8,000 students and city residents each year.

Core Components

School-based programs
- Provides school-based direct services to over 3,000 low-income youth each year by way of three federal Talent Search grants and foundation funding.
- College Access Coordinators provide college awareness and readiness services, including college and career workshops, one-on-one advising and counseling, financial aid and scholarship assistance and college visits.

Center-based programs
- Available to the public at large, center services include group and individual advising, college readiness and financial aid workshops and access to Internet-ready computers

Partnerships
- Builds partnerships with schools, neighborhood organizations, institutions of higher education and other pre-college programs, in order to effectively advocate for and provide services to students and their families
- Collaborates with other local college awareness groups as part of Philadelphia's College Prep Roundtable

Contact Information

Thomasennia Amos , Director - Bio
College Access Program
Seven Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Suite 700
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 665-1400 x3316
tamos@philaedfund.org