What is the Latino College Access Coalition?
- A partnership of community organizations where Latino students and parents can find expert advice on college planning, financial aid & financial literacy.
- A resource model that provides a community based environment of Confianza, which in Spanish means “Trust, comfort, and level of familiarity and knowledge that bespeaks confidence.”
- An extension of the free program of the College Planning Center of RI which has been providing college planning services for over 10 years.
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Our Mission
To educate, inform, and assist Latinos of all ages and backgrounds to access and succeed in higher education, making their dreams of higher education come true.
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Our Vision of Success
The Latino College Access Coalition program provides an opportunity to develop Rhode Island’s Latino workforce so that it can compete effectively in a global, knowledge-based economy by helping improve access to higher education through community based, multi-faceted, multi-lingual and multimedia opportunities.
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Our Goals
- To develop a network of community organizations throughout the state that will enhance college access assistance to Latinos.
- To increase the number of Latinos accessing and completing college.
- To develop a diverse Advisory Committee that will help leverage resources and information to help us grow the Coalition.
- To strengthen our coalition through fund and resource development.
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Our Partners & Supporters
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Why is LCAC important today?
- According to a recently released report from “RI Kids Count”: “Hispanics in Rhode Island have lower educational attainment levels than the population overall. In the 2007- 2008 school year, the high school graduation rate for Hispanic youth was 62%, the lowest of any racial/ethnic group in the state and lower than the overall Rhode Island high school graduation rate of 74%.”
- In 2007, 12% of Hispanics 25 years of age and older in Rhode Island hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 30% of all Rhode Islanders.
- Hispanic immigrants in Rhode Island are more likely to have less than a high school education, but are also more likely to have a college degree or higher than Hispanics born in the U.S.
- A study released in 2005 by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that the average level of education of Rhode Island’s workforce and the income of its residents was projected to decline over the next two decades, unless the state increases the number of Hispanic/Latinos going to college and earning a degree.
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What LCAC has done so far
- Provided FAFSA assistance in Spanish to over 100 families
- Offered SAT prep classes to interested high school students
- Provided one-on-one counseling at our partner agencies
- Provided tutoring on high school subjects
- Applied for grants
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What we can offer to your organization
- Financial aid workshops and presentations
- College planning workshops
- College planning materials
- Comprehensive online tools & information
- Scholarship search resources
- Open a center of “Confianza” at your location
Each of the above services can be provided in English and Spanish.
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How can you get involved…
Become a LCAC Advisory Member
- Attend two meetings a year
- Volunteer on an Advisory Committee working group (3-4 meetings a year)
- Support LCAC events and activities
- Provide resources, information and support
- Make connections with potential sponsors
- Volunteer time at LCAC events and sites
- Place a LCAC link on your website
- Host LCAC sessions at your organization
- Host a Financial Aid event at your organization
- Partner with LCAC
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To Contact Us
College Planning Center of RI
staff@cpcri.org
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