Click here for tips on getting a special education evaluation for your child
For evaluation letters to request testing for children having trouble in school, see “Resources” section.
The mission of GreatPhillySchools is to make information accessible so parents, guardians, and students can find, compare, and demand great schools.
http://greatphillyschools.org/
One application for almost all charter school in Philly. Just click here applyphillycharter.org
Click here for listing of Cyberschools https://bestpacyberschools.com/schools/
Information about Catholic Schools in Philadelphia – 215-587-3700 https://aopcatholicschools.org/
High Schools https://aopcatholicschools.org/high-schools/
Elementary https://aopcatholicschools.org/elementary-schools/
Promoting fairness and quality education in the public school system, and helping families understand and enforce their legal rights, from prompt early intervention services, children whose native language is not English, and children with disabilities- 1800 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1900-A Philadelphia, PA 19103 – 215-238-6970
www.elc-pa.org
The Student Assistance Program is a free service for students and families available through the Philadelphia School District and participating charter schools. Schools partner with outside agencies to conduct behavioral health and substance use assessments for K-12 students who are experiencing academic and emotional difficulties. Certified Student Assistance Program assessors collaborate with schools and families to provide recommendations for addressing risk behaviors and barriers to academic achievement and link families to services. To request a SAP assessment for your child, please talk to your school counselor and ask for the referral packet.
For further details: www.pnsas.org
1-800-879-2301 (Voice/TTY/TDD) Help for families and advocates of children with special needs about: Special Education Regulations, School Related Concerns, and Procedural Safeguards. https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Special%20Education/Complaints/Pages/ConsultLine.aspx
The Office of Specialized Services (OSS) is committed to the educational, social, physical, and emotional well being of students within the School District of Philadelphia. The OSS provides comprehensive special education, behavioral health, school health, and prevention/intervention programs. 215-400-4170
https://www.philasd.org/specializedservices/
Temple’s Employment Connections for Opportunity Youth program serves students who are between 17 to 21 years old and who have aged or are currently aging out of foster care. Young adults who have dropped out of school, are current seniors in high school, or graduated with their diploma or GED are eligible for this program. Sponsored in part by Philadelphia Works, Inc., the Employment Connections for Opportunity Youth program provides a comprehensive approach to college and career connectedness, including opportunities to explore career options and exposure to career or college pathways. Call 215-204-7913, email ecoy@temple.edu, or visit community.temple.edu/employment-connections-opportunity-youth for more info.
– Works with the School District to prevent disruptions to a child’s education when they are placed in DHS care
– ESC liaisons can help with academic problems, attendance/truancy, transportation to/from school, support for children with special education needs. Call (215) 683-4001 or OCFCommunications@phila.gov
https://dhsconnect.phila.gov/pfds2/esc-public/consult
Anyone can make the referral, but permission to evaluate must come from the education decision maker (biological parent, another EDM, etc., not the foster/resource parent). If there are delays in psycho-educational testing after the permission to evaluate has happened, it can be helpful to contact ELC § ELC Education Rights Helpline: 215-238-6970, info@elc-pa.org
-ESC Cognito Referral Form https://bit.ly/ocf_esc
NCLD works every day to make meaningful change for individuals with learning and attention issues. Find out more about our work by calling (301) 966-2234, emailing info@ncld.org, or visiting www.ncld.org/what-we-do/
ConsultLine is a toll-free information help line for parents and advocates of children with disabilities including learning issues who have questions or concerns about the education of a school-aged child. You can call the ConsultLine by calling 800-879-2301 or 717-901-2146, or you can request that the ConsultLine call you by filling out an online request form at www.odr-pa.org/contact-consultline.
If you don’t agree with your child’s IEP contact the Office for Dispute Resolution who can set up the mediation and due process request for all of Pennsylvania, and provides training and services regarding other ways to settle disagreements for students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Office for Dispute Resolution (ODR) Voice: 800-222-3353 TTY Users: PA Relay 711 Email: odr@odr-pa.org Fax: 717-657-5983 Website: www.odr-pa.org
Click on link for info about programs for summer learning and enrichment. Call 215-400-4180
www.philasd.org/face/tag/summer-learning/
Answers all questions related to public education
• Albanian* –215-400-8480
• Chinese* – 215 400-8482
• French* – 215 400-8483
• Khmer* – 215 400-8484
• Russian* – 215 400-8485
• Spanish – 215 400-8489
• Vietnamese* – 215-400-8487
• Arabic: 215-400-8481
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Find Pre-K and quality child care for kids from birth to five. Call 844-PHL-PREK (844-745-7735) or check out the great website here. www.phlprek.org
Click www.phlprek.org/programs for interactive map and here for eligibility.
Info and links to many preschool programs in Philly.
Click here for info or call 215-400-4270 www.philasd.org/earlychildhood
Keystone STARS provides families a tool to gauge the quality of early learning programs and is proven to improve the quality of child care based on an independent study. Child care and Head Start programs earn a STAR 1 to STAR 4 level by meeting quality standards for teacher qualifications, learning environment and program management. https://www.pakeys.org/keystone-stars/
Keystone Scholars is an investment in every Pennsylvania baby’s bright future, including yours.
Keystone Scholars provides $100 for every baby born to a PA family on or after January 1, 2019 to be used for your child’s future post-secondary education expenses. The $100 is invested and will grow alongside your child. Your Keystone Scholars account can be used for qualified higher education expenses including tuition, fees, books, and more at a vocational or technical school, apprenticeship, community college, or four-year university. Go to https://www.pa529.com/keystone/ and start your child’s future now.
Head Start is a comprehensive preschool program for low-income three, four, and five year olds. It provides children with a developmentally appropriate early childhood education. The program ensures that young children get health checkups and treatment, and that they are fed a nutritious hot meal every day. 215-400-4270 to register or 866-763-6481 for more info.
Click here for applications or apply online at Compass
www.phlprek.org/head-start/
Very helpful guide on what you need to register your child for school.
Click here for guide
New site that helps families get the skills necessary for success for their children starting Kindergarten.
Click here for help conqueringkindergarten.org.
Heights Philadelphia is a merger of Philadelphia Futures and Steppingstone Scholars, offering sustainable access to academic and workforce opportunities through expansive programming and partnerships. Heights works with students from middle school to their first careers. Call 215-790-1666 and visit heights.org to learn more and enroll your child or student.
Breakthrough Philadelphia sets highly-motivated, underserved middle-school students on the path to and through college. Students and parents/guardians apply to this tuition-free, multi-year program during 5th-8th grade and are supported through high school and college. Call (215) 261-6705, email info@breakthroughphilly.org, or visit breakthroughphilly.org for more info.
The Young Scholars Program is a selective pre-college scholarship for high-performing 7th grade students with financial need. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation offers further scholarship programs for undergraduate and community college students. Call 571-799-8064, email scholarships@jkcf.org, or visit https://www.jkcf.org/our-scholarships/young-scholars-program/ for more info.
Helps with college preparation and awareness to students in low-income communities. Starts in 6th or 7th grade and goes through high school- 215-400-4200. https://www.philasd.org/collegeandcareer/
From Philadelphia Futures. All the info you need to prepare for, choose and pay for college. Click below for info
https://heights.org/our-programs/college/step-up-to-college/
FREE course from U of Penn to help high schoolers navigate the college process. https://www.coursera.org/learn/applying-to-college-101
TeenSHARP prepares talented Black, Latino, and low-income students for top colleges and community-centered leadership.
Starts in 9th grade. Go to www.teensharp.org or email info@teensharp.org for info
The Ellis Trust provides financial assistance for school needs, extracurricular programs, summer camps and/or high school tuition for high-achieving girls in grades 9-12 who reside in Philadelphia. Eligible girls are from single parent families who meet federal reduced lunch income eligibility guidelines. Call 215-790-1666 with questions or ellis@heights.org
www.ellistrust.org
The Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia provides educational alternatives to low-income Philadelphia families through needs based scholarships. Call (215) 670-8411 or go to website below for info. www.csfphiladelphia.org
ABC’s mission is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. We carry out our mission through our signature College Preparatory Schools Program (“CPSP”), which annually recruits, refers and supports about 500 A Better Chance Scholars at more than 300 of the nation’s leading boarding, day and public schools. Call (800) 562-7865 or go to website or accounting@abetterchance.org. http://www.abetterchance.org/
The Ellis Trust provides financial assistance for school needs, extracurricular programs, summer camps and/or high school tuition for high-achieving girls in grades 9-12 who reside in Philadelphia. Eligible girls are from single parent families who meet federal reduced lunch income eligibility guidelines. Call 215-790-1666, ext 442 with questions.
www.ellistrust.org
Various locations throughout the city for motivated lower income students to help them achieve their goals of college graduation.
Only 3 in 10 high school students in Philly go on to college. Only 1 in 3 of those students end up earning a degree. Various universities/colleges work with students at select high schools Click on the one that manages your high school. Must apply in 9th or early 10th grade and be the first generation to finish college.
University of Pennsylvania (Overbrook, Parkway West, Sayre, West Philly)- https://vpse.upenn.edu/upward-bound/
CCP Trio Upward Bound (Benjamin Franklin, Building 21, Furness, South Philadelphia)- 215-751-8840
Temple University (Any Philadelphia public or charter school. Priority given to Benjamin Franklin, Murrell Dobbins, Simon Gratz, Strawberry Mansion, The U School)- 215-204-3636
Harcum College (John Bartram, William Sayre, and Samuel Fels)
Designed to ease the scholarship search process, Scholly aims to fix the outdated search methods that require filling out long, tiresome forms and then fail to deliver relevant results.
myscholly.com
Questbridge helps connect the brighest low-income students to America’s best universities and opportunities. Check out their website for info. questions@questbridge.org or (650) 331-3280 www.questbridge.org/
Let’s Get Ready provides free SAT prep, admissions counseling, and post-enrollment mentoring to students from low-income backgrounds and who are first-generation-to-college. Their peer-driven program is administered by highly trained and highly effective college students who mentor younger students to and through college. Click here for info https://letsgetready.org/
info@letsgetready.org or 646-808-2760
Specifically for high schoolers and college students interested in the transportation industry (city planning, SEPTA, Amtrak and more). Click here for info or go to site whttps://www.wtsinternational.org/
Gateway to College at Community College of Philadelphia is a scholarship program for School District of Philadelphia students, ages of 16-21, who have dropped out of school but have a desire to get back on track and earn a high school diploma and college credits. Call 215.751.8404 orgateway@ccp.edu and go online for an application.
www.ccp.edu/site/gateway
Through the College Access Program, students are supported in their schools with one-on-one advising, college readiness workshops, recruiter sessions, college visits, and four signature events conducted in their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. The schools supported are Frankford, Horace Furness, John Bartram, Olney Charter, Paul Robeson, Roxborough, and Kensington High School for the Creative & Performing Arts. Email bdefoney@philaedfund.org, call 215-665-1400, or visit https://philaedfund.org/programs/college-career-resources/college-access-program/ for more info.
Search for info on colleges, how to pay for college, and how to prepare. Go to website below.
www.collegeboard.com
Hey Philly, you can go 2 college! And we can connect you to the resources and programs to help you plan, apply, and pay for it. PG2C, powered by The Philadelphia Education Fund, is your college access solution. phillygoes2college.org
Great website to prepare for college from middle school on.
www.knowhow2go.org
Financial Literacy Scholarships are need-based scholarships that awards students from $2,500 up to $4,000 in scholarship dollars in exchange for completing Financial Literacy Training. The scholarship is meant to help high school, college, and trade school students from families at or below the national poverty line, giving them the knowledge to handle the financial difficulties of college and onward. Application open year round. Visit corescholars.org or call 267.909.9387 for more info.
Click here for over 200 scholarships for high schoolers https://www.philafound.org/students/apply-for-a-scholarship/
To apply to be a Samuel A. Green Scholar, you must be a Greater Philadelphia or Lehigh Valley area high school graduating senior/rising college freshman from a public, private, parochial or charter school, or a home-schooled student or technical school graduate and GED recipient, who plans to be a full-time student at a community or four-year, not-for-profit, accredited college or university $5000/year for 4 years. Must apply before March. Click for info and to apply https://www.greenfamilyfoundation.org/samuel-a-green-scholarship.
For graduating seniors or first year college students from lower income families. 30 scholarships a year to help defray costs. Click www.herbie.com/hif-scholarship for info.
Click links below for more info:
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A one stop shopping resource center to help students reenroll in diploma or GED programs. Call 215-400-6700 or visit the center at 440 North Broad Street Suite 1013 9am-3pm M-F appointment request link here
https://www.philasd.org/opportunitynetwork/reengagement/
Listing of Options
Go to www.mometrix.com/academy/ged-test/ for a free GED practice test and discounted study resources.
Mission GED helps Keystone First members get their general equivalency diplomas (GEDs). Get the tools and support you need to further your education and reach your goals at https://www.keystonefirstpa.com/member/eng/programs/mission-ged/index.aspx or call 1-800-573-4100, ext. 5713 (TTY 711).”; attach “Get your GED” handout https://www.keystonefirstpa.com/pdf/member/eng/programs/mission-ged/ged-brochure.pdf (English), https://www.keystonefirstpa.com/pdf/member/eng/programs/mission-ged/ged-brochure-span.pdf (Spanish)
YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School provides out-of-school youth, 17-20 year-olds , in Philadelphia with the broadest range of tools, supports and opportunities available to become self-sufficient, responsible and productive citizens in their community.
Students earn their high school diplomas while learning valuable job skills and engaging in community service projects. YouthBuild Philadelphia rebuilds lives and communities! 1231 N. Broad St, 3rd Fl 215-627-8671. hello@youthphilybuild.org
www.youthbuildphilly.org
PSD Office of Prevention & Intervention”; adjust description to “Focusing on mental, behavioral and social-emotional health needs, the Office of Prevention & Intervention increases access to education by: decreasing barriers through responsive, trauma-informed practices; promoting a holistic and inclusive approach to supports; validating students through person-centered practices and partnerships. Call 215-400-4930, email preventionandintervention@philasd.org, or visit www.philasd.org/prevention/ for more info and resources.
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YES’s year-round open entry program combines enticing media and art activities with proven counseling models, GED preparatory classes and job-readiness training. Call 215.769.0340 for info.
www.yesphilly.org
Great resource for families interested in getting help with parenting and helping their child in school. Great brochures and videos.
https://www.psea.org/partners
Office of The School District of Philadelphia that helps English Language Learners Excel. 215-400-4240
www.philasd.org/multilingual
The City of Philadelphia’s PHLConnectED program will provide thousands of Philadelphia pre-K-12 families with free internet access so their children can fully participate in school. Find out if you’re eligible by dialing 2-1-1. For language services, press 8. You can also visit phila.gov/programs/phlconnected/ for more information.
PHLConnectED will connect you with a Digital Navigator “https://www.phila.gov/services/education-learning/get-help-with-technology/get-help-from-a-digital-navigator/ for one-on-one support with accessing and using technology.
Get Xfinity Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus at no cost when you qualify for and enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Qualifying households can still sign up for Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus for an affordable monthly price. Go to https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service/internet-essentials#amieligible to find more info and see if you’re eligible.
Click here for flyer
School District of Philadelphia’s Office provides resources and guidance to Philadelphia’s students to pursue their dreams. Provides resources on college preparation and career development- 440 N Broad St. Suite 212- call 215-400-4200
https://www.philasd.org/collegeandcareer/ also free resource below
phila.schoolnet.com/outreach/philadelphia/students/beyond/local
Promoting fairness and quality education in the public school system, and helping families understand and enforce their legal rights, from prompt early intervention services, children whose native language is not English, and children with disabilities- 1800 JFK Blvd., Suite 1900-A – 215-238-6970
www.elc-pa.org
The ASPIRA Association promotes the empowerment of the Puerto Rican and Latino community by developing and nurturing leadership, intellectual and cultural potential of its youth so that they may contribute their skills and dedication to the fullest development of the Puerto Rican and Latino community everywhere. Multiple programs for youth development- 4322 N. 5th St. 3rd Floor-215-455-1300. www.aspira.org/
Main phone number for most issues relating to Philadelphia school system- 800-879-2301 https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Special%20Education/Complaints/Pages/ConsultLine.aspx
The Special Education Consult Line handbook click here and in Spanish, here
The Office of Diverse Learners is committed to the educational, social, physical, and emotional well being of students within the School District of Philadelphia. The OSS provides comprehensive special education, behavioral health, school health, and prevention/intervention programs. 215-400-4170
https://www.philasd.org/specializedservices/
At Mighty Writers, we teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity so they can achieve success. We host writing workshops in and around Philadelphia, PA and distribute groceries, diapers and other essentials to families in our communities. All of our programs are free for students and families. We are located in Germantown, West Philly, North Philly, South Ninth Street, and virtually. Email hello@mightywriters.org, call 267-239-0899, or visit mightywriters.org for more info.
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The Free Library of Philadelphia offers free online homework help with a live tutor, for students in kindergarten through college. https://libwww.freelibrary.org/programs/kids/homeworkhelp
Free educational videos on all topics from K-12. Learn at your own pace.
www.khanacademy.org
Thousands of resources for learning and help with homework from PA Department of Education
kidspowerlibrary.org
RISE Philadelphia offers free, virtual tutoring and mentoring to K-12 Philadelphia and South Jersey students to empower students to achieve their goals of succeeding in the classroom and graduating high school. Each student is paired with a local graduate student who provides academic assistance. You can visit https://www.risephiladelphia.com/services to learn more and sign up! Questions can be sent to rise.philly.2020@gmail.com. Flyer here
A free, drop-in after school program that provides homework help, computer literacy, library skills, and presents cultural enrichment programs that assists children and teens Grades 1-12- 215-686-5372 libwww.freelibrary.org/programs/leap/
LEAP@freelibrary.org
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ELECT (Education Leading to Employment Career Training) Teen Parent Classrooms help pregnant and parenting teens finish their high school education and plan for college and/or employment after high-school. The ELECT staff provides academic and social service support, case management, home visits and group activities. For more information call 215-400-4250 or ELECTinfo@philasd.org
https://www.philasd.org/face/#parentingstudentservice
ELECT Referral Form
Program that seeks to empower young mothers 18-21 years old with the skills necessary to compete in the workforce- GED prep., money skills- 152 West Lehigh Ave.- 215-425-7800. https://www.lighthouse1893.org/