The PEAK Program

History: A feasibility and needs analysis study**, followed by a full year of of planning, helped A Call to College design an early college awareness program for elementary and middle school students in the district.  Informed by the needs revealed in the study, and crafted by teachers and staff in the school system, The PEAK (Providing Early Awareness and Knowledge) Program began in the fall of 2009 with outreach directed at every second and eighth grader.  Fourth grade was added in 2010-11 and and sixth grade in 2011-12, bringing the program to full implementation. The three priorities of PEAK are to promote:

  • College knowledge
  • Literacy (reading and financial)
  • Career awareness and education
Key to launching PEAK was the assistance of three local colleges: Central Ohio Technical College, Denison University and The Ohio State University at Newark. This innovative partnership, named CAN DO Access, helped A Call to College successfully phase in targeted college access outreach to nearly 2000 total students. The three-year collaboration also allowed A Call to College time to build staff capacity and raise the necessary resources to sustain the programming in perpetuity.

Second Grade 

  • "I Know I Can Go To College" Reading Week  
  • Reading Rocks at the Library field trip and a library card registration drive
  • Celebrity Reader Week
  • PEAK Week
  • College Comes Into the Classroom workshops

Fourth Grade 

  • College and Money Savvy Wildcat Lesson Plans
  • The Piggy Bank Game
  • The Ready 4 College Players performance of "The Wonderful Wizard of College" at The Works

Sixth Grade 

  • Kids2College curriculum
  • Introduction of KnowHow2Go resources
  • Local college visit

Eighth Grade 

  • Ohio Career Information System on-line training
  • Reality Store



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