Contact: Ann Hatch
For immediate release — Feb. 1, 2014
(DALLAS) — Time for college, time for taxes, time for parents and children to plan ahead.
Taking those steps is a challenge, and the Dallas County Community College District can help. This spring, DCCCD’s annual “Keys to Success” program (also called Las Llaves del Éxito) takes a different direction: The free half-day program will provide college-oriented sessions; free tax preparation also will be provided for the first 60 families who are pre-registered to receive that help — a critical step for filling out the FAFSA form (paperwork for federal financial aid) and a key to success for getting into college.
DCCCD and the Dallas Independent School District are teaming up on two consecutive Saturdays to help students and parents take the necessary steps for college admission. DCCCD’s free Keys to Success event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15, followed by Dallas ISD “Super Saturday” events that are designed to get seniors on the right track for college on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Admission and breakfast are free at DCCCD’s college fair, which is designed for parents and high school juniors and seniors; it will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Brookhaven College, located at 3939 Valley View Lane in Farmers Branch.
“We are looking at DCCCD’s Keys to Success/Las Llaves and DISD’s Super Saturdays as a two-step process that will benefit families by providing them with information about college admission and FAFSA completion,” said Esther Canales, who works in DCCCD’s outreach office and is coordinating the event. “Students and parents can start the college admission process during DCCCD’s Keys to Success/Las Llaves program on Feb. 15 and then complete their financial aid application at Super Saturday with Dallas ISD on Feb. 22.”
Parents who attend the Feb. 15 DCCCD Keys to Success event at Brookhaven College can fill out their taxes (and receive help, if they need it) if they pre-register; the free service is limited to the first 60 families who sign up before the event. Parents also can attend sessions in the morning to learn more about financial aid and scholarships, TASFA and deferred action, parental involvement, and adult and continuing education. All sessions for parents will be presented in both Spanish and English.
Student sessions will cover college entrance exams, essay writing, college admissions, financial aid and scholarships, and TASFA and deferred action.
No registration is required for parent or student workshop sessions, with the exception of the tax preparation help for parents.
H&R Block will award two $500 scholarships to attend a DCCCD college; participants need to register on site in the T Building for an opportunity to win.
The following week, students can complete their FAFSA forms at one of two Super Saturday programs presented by DISD. For details about Dallas ISD’s Super Saturday event, go to
Commit2Dallas.org/SuperSaturday.
Partners with DCCCD, Dallas ISD, Brookhaven College and Dr Pepper for the Keys to Success program at Brookhaven College include: the University of North Texas, CapitalOne Bank University Crossroads, The Concilio, Ford Motor Company, the University of North Texas at Dallas, Grande 107.5, the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Univision Educacion, New York Life, LULAC National Educational Service Centers Inc., The Princeton Review, the University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas County Schools, the YWCA of Dallas, Education Is Freedom, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Wells Fargo, H&R Block, Texas Woman’s University, the University of Texas at Arlington, Commit! and Cedar Valley College.
For more information, contact Canales at (214) 378-1738; for assistance in Spanish, please call (214) 378-1713.
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