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Bay Area Kid Fun

Discounts & Perks

We’re excited to bring you exclusive discounts and perks as a Big! For free tickets to Bay Area sports games, check your email for our offers—we send them often.

Free Day Use of Touchstone Climbing Gyms for Matches

Education

Applying to and paying for higher education can be daunting. Consult these resources so you have the knowledge to confidently guide college-related conversations with your Little.

CSU Transfer Success Pathway Webinar

Many students achieve success in a more affordable way by first attending a California community college and then transferring to the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) systems for a four-year degree. Watch a webinar from the CSU on how the CSU Transfer Pathway works.

Northern California College Promise Coalition

Often, navigating a college or university’s financial aid opportunities can be challenging for youth and adults alike. The Northern California College Promise Coalition created a Financial Aid Webinar Series that you can watch with your Little to better understand the process.

How to Avoid Summer Melt

What is summer melt?

“Up to one third of all students who leave high school with plans to attend college never arrive at any college campus that fall. [It] tends to hit low-income students hardest, as well as students who are the first in their family to go to college.”

Most Littles fall within this demographic. This is where BBBSBA and you work together to support your Little.

Use our mentor coaching tips to help avoid summer melt:

• Show support and school spirit and take a virtual campus tour together
• Before your Little arrives on campus, use this College Board checklist to help them stay focused
• Encourage your Little to schedule an appointment at their college’s financial aid office

2-Year College vs. 4-Year College

A two-year college or community college is a great educational starting point for your Little who is interested in obtaining an Associate’s Degree, a Certificate Degree, or as a way to complete their general education classwork and transfer out to a four-year university. Here in California, we are lucky to have so many community colleges serving our Littles. Did you know that California has 115 community colleges across the state? Your Little can apply to any of these two-year colleges by using this link: California Community Colleges CCCApply

Financial Aid Opportunities

What is Financial Aid? 

For Littles that are planning to attend a college or career school, financial aid is essential in making it more affordable. Financial aid is offered to Littles based on their financial need as well as merit.

Types of Financial Aid:

FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form your Little needs to fill out to get any financial aid from the federal government to help pay for college. Your Little must be a US citizen to apply for this type of financial aid.

CA Dream Act: The California Dream Act application allows Littles interested in attending eligible California colleges, universities and career education programs to apply for state financial aid. This application is essential for undocumented Littles looking for financial aid, since some scholarships available to require that your Little be a US citizen. This application is specifically designated to undocumented Littles, DACA Littles, Dreamer Littles and AB 540 Littles. Click here for more information.

Private Scholarships: Some colleges and career schools offer scholarships directly to their students and may not require your Little to fill out their FAFSA or CA Dream Act. It’s important that your Little check with their school to see if they need to fill out other applications or provide further information to their school if they are planning on applying for private scholarships. Click here to read more on how to find and apply for scholarships.

Scholarship Search Engines: There are thousands of scholarships out there to ease the financial burden on your Littles. Your Little can find scholarships that award students for anything from studying computer science to being a great bowler. Visit search engines like the College Board Scholarship Search or Fast Web to start narrowing down the options.

Other Educational Resources

California Community College provides tools and resources at ICanGoToCollege.com, including how to enroll at your local community college campus, availability of year-round financial aid, career education programs, and guaranteed transfer to participating four-year colleges or universities.

Learn more about the California State University admissions process.

Find University of California financial aid information, requirements, and learn how to apply.

UC Campus Tours – Take a virtual tour with your Little of nine UC campuses.

Use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form to apply for financial aid for college or graduate school.

California Student Aid Commission has compiled a list of the Financial Aid Programs they offer to a variety of students.

Employment

What is Trade School?

A trade school, which oftentimes is also referred to as vocational school, technical school, or vocational college, is a post-secondary institution that’s designed to give Littles the technical skills to prepare them for a specific job or occupation. Trade schools can be either public or private, but many are for-profit businesses. At a trade school, your Little can get a degree in fields like information technology, nursing and health sciences, automotive technician training, and medical assisting. Program lengths can vary, but typically they can range from anywhere between eight months to two years. Unlike a four-year college, your Little won’t graduate from a trade school with a bachelor’s degree. Instead, upon completing the program your Little will receive a diploma or trade certificate acknowledging they successfully completed the program. For some programs, your Little might also earn an associate degree, which is the degree they would get from a two-year college. Learn more about Trade Schools and how they differ from two-year and four-year colleges.

Employment Search Tools

Discover occupation possibilities with the California Department of Labor.

Visit the California Career Center to start considering options.

The California Department of Employment and Development gives helpful tips and information for Littles interested in joining the workforce after high school.

The California Department of Employment and Development gives Littles information on job fairs and workshops happening regionally to get them started on their employment search.

Enlistment

Branches of Enlistment

A career in the military offers many benefits and perks to your Little. See the links below to learn about the branches of the military that your Little might be interested in joining.

Army
Army Reserve
Army National Guard
Marine Corps
Marine Corps Reserve
Navy
Navy Reserve
Air Force
Air Force Reserve
Air National Guard
Space Force
Coast Guard
Coast Guard Reserve

What is Boot Camp?

Boot camp is basic training that everyone wanting to pursue a career in the military must go through. This training prepares recruits for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. It gives service members the basic tools necessary to perform the roles that will be assigned to them for the duration of their tour.

Each of the services has its own training program, tailoring the curriculum to the specialized nature of its role in the military. Boot camp can last anywhere between 8 to 13 weeks depending on the military branch.

Learn more about boot camp and how it pertains to each branch of the military your Little wants to enroll in.

Enlistment School Information

Is your Little ready to enlist into their selected branch of the military? Once they have talked to a recruiter, they will need to set a date to visit a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) to finish their enlistment process.

The MEPS is a joint service organization that determines an applicant’s physical qualifications, aptitude and moral standards as set by each branch of military service. There are MEPS locations all over the country. Learn more about enlisting in the military and the Military Entrance Processing Stations near your Little.

If your Little is interested in attending college as well as joining the military, here are some helpful links to guide them through that process:

US Air Force ROTC
Army ROTC Programs and Requirements
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps – Scholarships
Coast Guard Officer Careers

Military Benefits

There are many benefits available to active service duty members and military veterans, including:

• Free access to health care
• 30 days of paid time off for active service duty members
• Access to life insurance
• Access to retirement savings
• Educational assistance
• Disability compensation

For a full list of benefits and perks available, visit Today’s Military or the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Exploration

Career Exploration Tools

What do you want to do for a living? Whether they know what they want to be or just aren’t sure, My Next Move can help point Littles in the right direction.

Internship Search: Internships are a great way for Littles to get exposed to a potential career field, as well as gain firsthand experience.

What is a Gap Year?

A gap year is an option for Littles who may want to have a year to themselves before starting on their college and career pathway. Littles can explore careers, use this time to travel, volunteer, work, do mission trips or save money for higher education.

The gap year typically lasts 12 months. Proponents of the gap year believe that it can broaden their horizons and help students be better prepared and more focused once they arrive at college or other career pathways.

Learn more about the gap year and help guide your Little who might decide on taking it.