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Students at a Paying for College Bus Tour stop, Reading PA

The Sallie Mae Fund celebrates ten years of Kids to College in Massachusetts.

Organization pledges $200,000 to support program for next three years.

Reston, Va., June 6, 2003—The Sallie Mae Fund today joined Massachusetts higher education officials at Northeastern University to celebrate ten years of Kids to College in Massachusetts. Kids to College is a collaborative, early higher education awareness program developed by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) and the Higher Education Information Center. The Sallie Mae Fund has sponsored Kids to College in Massachusetts since its inception in 1993 and today furthered its commitment with a $200,000 pledge over the next three years.

Kids to College pairs sixth grade classrooms with local colleges and universities, such as Northeastern, to emphasize the importance of higher education by introducing students to college life. During the six-week program, students receive information on careers, college life and how to choose the path that will give them the most options for education beyond high school. The program culminates with on-campus visits for students and their parents. More than 20,000 students have benefited from the program in the past ten years.

"Early awareness about a child’s education options after high school plays a major role in ensuring that students can avail themselves of the benefits of continuing their education," said Clare M. Cotton, president of AICUM. "Thanks to the generous support of The Sallie Mae Fund through the years, Kids to College sparks interest in continuing education for thousands of deserving students."

"The Sallie Mae Fund is proud to sponsor programs like Kids to College that offer early awareness solutions to improve access to higher education for America's children," said Susan Porter, Chairman of The Sallie Mae Fund board. "Through the Kids to College program excitement is created early on about an education after high school and expectations get set."

This hands-on approach puts a "face" on the college experience, providing low-income, minority children with the dream that college is an option for them.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a post–secondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit www.salliemaefund.org.