My name is Elisa Garcia, Head of Teen Services at the Bronx Library Center. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the Early College Initiative at the Bronx Library Center.

The Bronx  Library Center is one of the college hubs in the Bronx, what does this mean?  It means that we provide college and career readiness programs/workshops for teens and their families along with a dedicated college and career corner that consists of books and informational materials. The workshops offered consists of navigating scholarships and the financial aid process, understanding the Excelsior scholarship and anything in relation to the college application process.  For the past three years we’ve been assisting highschool Seniors and Juniors start preparing for their postsecondary careers and studies and its been truly rewarding seeing them grow and knowing that they can count on the library to be there for them.

After seeing how successful our college readiness programs have been, we’ve decided to expand our initiative to middle school students. Studies have shown that students who have been exposed to early college awareness have a higher chance of succeeding and making more informed post- secondary decisions. Middle school and the transition to 9th grade are  critical times for students to work on their critical thinking skills, self- advocacy and persistence,  developing these skills early leads to future ready middle schoolers who will be prepared to suceed in highschool and beyond.

To launch our Early College Initiative we will be hosting our first Middle School College Fair on April 19th from 10am-3pm.  This will be a fun and informative day for parents, students and community organizations, interested in learning more about this initiative, talking with representatives from various  colleges and attending the various workshops.

middle_school_college_fair_-_april_2018.pdf

middle_school_college_fair_-_april_2018.pdf