College Access Plan’s Middle School Program Returns to Pasadena Unified School Sites, Expands

College Access Plan (CAP), a Pasadena-based non-profit that prepares underserved students to succeed in college, said it has resumed its after-school middle school programs at Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) sites.

College Access said in a statement Wednesday that, in partnership with PUSD and LEARNs, and the Helen & Will Webster Foundation, which generously supports all CAP programming at PUSD, CAP’s after-school programs, which were on hiatus during the pandemic, resumed at Blair Middle School, Eliot Middle School, Marshall Fundamental, McKinley School, Octavia E. Butler Magnet, and Sierra Madre Middle School.

The interactive nine-week courses focused on high school preparation and college and career exploration. In addition, in-class three-day workshops for all eighth-grade students at McKinley School and Octavia E. Butler Magnet recommenced successfully.

Program partner and PUSD Expanded Learning Programs Director/Grant Manager Maria Toliver noted, “The opportunities provided by CAP to our middle school students are invaluable. Students are provided with space to explore colleges and careers, identify their strengths, and envision infinite possibilities for their futures. The program shapes lives, and we are excited to partner in this work.”

This year, CAP and PUSD also launched a pilot program of workshops for fifth graders focused on goal setting, career exploration, middle school 101, and an introduction to the pathway to college. The pilot program was offered in March for students at Madison Elementary and Washington Elementary STEM Magnet School and was paired with companion presentations for family members.

Middle school program manager Natasha Mahone observed students were engaged and excited to transition into their middle school journey. “It’s never too early for students to begin thinking about college and exploring their options. We are so excited about this pilot program and we look forward to seeing these incoming middle school students in CAP programs in the future”.

For more information visit www.collegeaccessplan.org.