Childers’ back-to-school letter
Dear Friends,
The end of summer means back-to-school, and there are lot of things to think about to help ensure that your children are prepared, healthy, and able to get the most out of their education.
The U.S. Department of Education Web site provides various resources for parents, from how to help your child reach their potential at school to information about how to pay for college. You can visit the Department of Education’s Web site for parents by clicking here.
You can also find information on local schools, libraries, and college searches by visiting the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) online.
Protecting Your Children and Families
It’s important to keep your children and families healthy throughout the school year and beyond.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides helpful resources for parents and caregivers, which you can find on their website by clicking here.
For general information from the CDC about Swine Flu, click here.
Graduating Seniors
Mississippi has some of the best state and community colleges in the nation. During today’s tough times, paying for college isn’t easy, but there are several loans, grants, and tax credits available to help make getting a good education more affordable. Seniors graduating this spring may find it beneficial to begin looking into these opportunities now.
To learn about these programs, you can visit the Department of Education’s Student Web page by clicking here.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also helps make college more affordable for students and families through the following measures:
Increases the maximum Pell Grant by $500, for a maximum of $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010. An estimated 96,824 Mississippi students will benefit from this increase.
Provides a new, partially refundable $2,500 college tax credit for families that will benefit an estimated 63,000 students in Mississippi.
Adds $200 million to the federal College Work-Study program.
For information on applying for Pell Grants or financial aid, students and families can visit the Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html, or http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.
As always, please continue to keep me informed about your opinions and concerns by phone at (202) 225-4306 or by visiting my website at www.childers.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Congressman Travis W. Childers
First District, Mississippi
9/10/9
Magnolia Tribune
