Building A Support System
Where to Look and Who to Ask
What if I ...
Have A Special Circumstance?
If you or your family has experienced a significant and/or prolonged decline in family income, or have experienced any other form of loss, you might be eligible for opportunities, resources, and tools especially set aside for you. These opportunities and resources may come in the form of specialized support services and financial assistance or may come in the form of tailored (created to fit you exactly!) resources and tools. None too surprising is this support can be found in places like your high school, the college, career school, or service academy you are planning to attend and also available the federal and/or Maryland state government levels.
Special Circumstances to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Have A Special Circumstance?
If you or your family has experienced a significant and/or prolonged decline in family income, or have experienced any other form of loss, you might be eligible for opportunities, resources, and tools especially set aside for you. These opportunities and resources may come in the form of specialized support services and financial assistance or may come in the form of tailored (created to fit you exactly!) resources and tools. None too surprising is this support can be found in places like your high school, the college, career school, or service academy you are planning to attend and also available the federal and/or Maryland state government levels.
Special Circumstances to be considered include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Loss of employment
- Loss of home/homeless
- Other loss of income
- Separation or divorce (parents’ marital status)
- Incarcerated parent(s)
- Eldercare expenses
- Bankruptcy or foreclosure
- Change in parent income due to recent retirement
- Death of a parent, spouse, or other familymember
- High unreimbursed medical and/or dental expenses
- One-time payment received (that would notbe considered consistent income)
To Learn More: https://fafsa.ed.gov/help/fotwfaq52.htm
Did you know…that financial aid can be available to you, too? As it pertains to you what you are responsible for paying towards college or career school, the school’s admission and financial aid officers may be able to work with you and your family to make sure you have access to and are receiving the most financial aid that you are entitled to and/or eligible for.
Alert: Please be advised that once you have initiated a special circumstance request with a college or career school, your FAFSA may be selected for a process called verification. The verification process requires your college, career school, or service academy to collect prior year tax transcripts, W-2s, and other school-related verification documents from you and your parents. These documents are in addition to any specific documentation needed to complete the special circumstances request.
What if I ...
Am A Displaced Youth and/or Homeless?
Although it may feel that way most of the time, you are not alone. By being a teenager without a home or a secure and safe place to stay, you are facing unique challenges on a daily basis. For now, because you come to school every day, or as often as you can, your high school can provide you with a nurturing environment where you’ll be encouraged every day to succeed. After high school, your college, career school, or service academy is there provide the same level of caring but in a totally new and different environment. Like high school, your chosen college, career school, or service academy can be the place where you see the same familiar faces, sit in the same classroom seat, and, if you elect to, hang out with people you see regularly and who care about you and your future success. Regardless of how or why you came to be placed in your circumstance, the opportunities available to you to have fixed whatever may be broken are endless throughout high school, college, career school, the service academy, and right up to point you begin to actually live your dream. Getting there means to remember, on a daily or weekly basis, to check in with your school counselor and/or a member of your support system or social network team, to keep them in the loop with what is going on and to have addressed your most important questions and/or concerns.
Learn More: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/24932
Did you know? The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) (http://www.naehcy.org/) offers scholarship assistance every year to students who are homeless or have experienced homelessness.
What if I ...
Am A Member of a Military family?
It must be an honor to be a part of a family where your parent(s) and/or caregiver(s) have dedicated their lives to their country, but your role in your family is very honorable as well. Sometimes, however, being a part of a military family may feel like a strain due to the constant moving from place to place. You’re always having to kick start new relationships with strangers, essentially, such as with your new classmates and new teachers. You may also have the challenge of trying to comprehend unfamiliar concepts or skills taught in your new classes or completing classwork and homework on time. This would be not quite out of the ordinary after enrolling in a new school or when you’re forced to cope with the deployment of close family members. When times like these make you feel like you are on a rollercoaster, or if you feel that there’s no way out, you should know that the trusted individuals in your support system, such as your principal and school counselor, understand your circumstance completely and are more than willing to help you.
Did you know? The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) Partner Program is a program comprised of outstanding corporations, foundations, organizations, and service clubs who are dedicated to supporting you and your family. They stand by their pledge to ensure your educational success. Furthermore, you are guaranteed that your family’s military service will be honored, and if and when your family faces unique challenges as a result of frequent moves, recurring parent deployments, life transitions, trauma and/or loss, they’ll be right there during those critical times as well.
Learn More: Military Child Education Coalition: http://www.militarychild.org/
What if I ...
Am A Foster Care Student?
When you think about it, the challenges, barriers, and road blocks you may be experiencing as a foster care student are the very same experiences that many of your classmates or peers may be facing also, especially during your high school years. The solid foundation that your peers have as a result of their family’s dedication to meeting their needs is what you will have as a foster student. Programs, services, and opportunities have been specifically designed for you and are there to provide you with an equal amount of foundational support as journey through life. Foster Care to Success (www.fc2sucess.org) is only one of several organizations, which provides a wealth of information on many of the groundbreaking programs available to help you, and others who are in foster care, along the way.
Did you know? You are not alone. People, like Baltimore Ravens' Michael Oher, spent time in foster care, and it didn’t stand in his way. Trust in the power of believing, and it won’t stand in your way
either!
Learn More: Foster Care to Success: http://www.fc2success.org/
What if I ...
Am[WU1] an International Student?
Did you know:
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What if I ...
Am a Parenting or Caregiving Student?
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What if I ...
Am A Home-Schooled Student?
As a home-schooled student, your parent(s) or guardian(s) have chosen to teach you at home instead of enrolling you in a City School. With having selected the home-schooling option, your parent(s) or guardian(s) are taking full responsibility for your education. And what’s so great about this is, regardless of you being home-schooled, and as long as you are a resident of Baltimore City, you are eligible to participate in a select set of programs and services that are provided to all City Schools students, including participating in assessments, such as the PSAT, SAT, and ACT at any City Schools’ location.
Learn More: http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/24373
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