St. Cloud Area College Bound Program is a program that fits with our District’s mission and would not be possible without community partnerships. The College Bound Program is a collaborative initiative between St. Cloud Area School District 742 and the St. Cloud Technical College. The program provides a plethora of career and post-secondary education awareness, exploration, and development opportunities for students in grades 3 - 12 and their parents. It is designed to produce successful college students, especially from underrepresented populations.
The program began in July, 2000, through a Minnesota Office of Higher Education Intervention for College Attendance Program grant to serve underrepresented students in grades 7-9. The College Bound Program has a very dedicated staff, which also involves other districts. We have the Readiness Pipeline Model that allows us to partner with the Upward Bound and the Fast Forward Programs at St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict, as well as Multicultural Student Services and the Volunteer Connection at St. Cloud State University. Family events are held to talk about planning, college preparation, making parents feel they are a part of the decision making process.
In 2008, the program was expanded to include 10th -12th grade students, which became possible due to a new funding stream. This resulted in long-term relationships with both students and families. In 2005, a health care component was added; in 2009, a ‘duplicate’ health care program was started for students with disabilities; in 2007, a Career & Technical Education component for the ELL Program was added.
Students selected for the College Bound Program are recommended by teachers or counseling staff. The numbers of students served in the College Bound Program during the 2008-2009 year include the areas of After School Program, Academic Achievement Academy Summer Program, Summer Super Success Skills Seminar, CTE for ELL Summer Program, C2C Camps to Careers Health Program, and the Health Career Service Academy. Future plans include continuation and/or expansion of the current program areas.
