Jacksonville Promise is working with Lincoln Land Community College to help students attend College for Kids, covering tuition for families in need.

Jacksonville Promise is working with Lincoln Land Community College to help students attend College for Kids, covering tuition for families in need.

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Jacksonville Promise is working to help elementary and middle school students get an early preview of college life by working with Lincoln Land Community College to help cover tuition costs for its College for Kids program. 

Charles Sheaff, co-founder of the Jacksonville Promise scholarship program, said that while the program is in the early stages, he has the goal to help provide the opportunity for students to participate in the College for Kids, regardless of their ability to pay for tuition. 

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“We have been trying to find a way to reach the underprivileged students and help stimulate an interest in postsecondary learning,” Sheaff said. 

The College for Kids program and similar offerings give students a fun way to experience a college campus while learning. Lincoln Land Community College in Jacksonville is offering 13 summer courses in total for students across first through eighth grade.

Each camp is a four-day course and costs $149, focusing on subjects from American Sign Language to engineering. 

Sheaff said Jacksonville Promise wants to help cover that cost for students whose families cannot afford tuition.

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“We are working with the Jacksonville Promise board and Lincoln Land to underwrite the tuition for kids who want to take these course,” Sheaff said. “We haven’t identified how we will determine need yet.”

Sheaff said details are being ironed out, but he expects to have them finalized in the coming weeks. He said underwriting tuition for these courses is a first step in encouraging students to pursue education after high school.

“I hope that over the course of the next 10 to 15 years we have more kids showing an interest in postsecondary education,” Sheaff said. “We want them to have that early exposure.”

He said he is also currently working with Illinois College to do something similar for its programs. 

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Jacksonville Promise provides scholarships to students who attend college at Illinois College and Lincoln Land Community College. Last year, the organization supported more than 100 scholarships.

“One thing I hope is to have kids become attached to the campuses and get more kids to think about going to college here locally,” Sheaff said. 

Classes available in Jacksonville:

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• Communication Without Boundaries Level 1 — Hands-on American Sign Language. June 15-18

• Communication Without Boundaries Level 1 — Hands-on American Sign Language. July 6-9

• Shape Explores  — Work to identify, classify, and create with 2D and 3D geometric figures. July 6-9

• Mini Engineers: The Magical Building Adventure  — Use various materials to build objects. July 13-18.

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• Communication Without Boundaries Level 1 — Hands-on American Sign Language. June 15-18

• Mixed Media Madness — Use various supplies to create works of art. June 22-25

• The Action Zone  — Use physical activity to help learn various statistical principles. June 29-July 

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• Communication Without Boundaries Level 1 — Hands-on American Sign Language. July 6-9

• The Design Zone — Step into the role of architects and interior designers. July 13-16.

• Code it to Life: Scratch Camp — Learn basic coding. July 13-16

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• Canva Creative Camp — Learn how to use Canva, a creative design tool. June 22-25

• Robotics Quest —  Use skills like critical thinking and problem-solving to help design various robotic devices. July 6-9

• Bridge Builders Engineering Lab —  Explore the principles behind bridge design. July 6-9