PROJECT AIMS TO HELP PARENTS PREPARE KIDS FOR COLLEGE

"Make High School Count," a free program for the parents of seventh and eighth graders interested in preparing their children for post-high school education, will be presented Oct. 5 at Southeast Missouri State University.

The program is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. in Robert A. Dempster Hall.

The program is open to all parents of middle-school-aged children in the Southeast Missouri region.

The program is sponsored by the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel in cooperation with ACT Inc. and the Missouri Department of Higher Education. The pilot program has been held in other areas of the state, including Hannibal, Joplin, Kansas City and St. Louis.

"The program is targeted toward those areas in Missouri where high school graduation rates and college attendance rats are low," said Jay Goff, director of admissions at Southeast and coordinator of the program at the university.

The Make High School County program focuses on the importance of taking the right high school classes, how to use the school counselor as a resource, how to choose a college and apply for admission, realistic ways to pay college costs and what current college students have to say.

Free pizza will be served to all participants in the program and transportation will be available from schools throughout Southeast Missouri, Goff said.

To reserve space in the program, parents and/or students should contact the Missouri Department of Higher Education at 1-800-473-6757.