FCAN Launches Plan It Florida Initiative

TAMPA, FL - Too often, students graduate high school without a plan for what comes next. That’s why Florida College Access Network (FCAN) is pleased to announce the launch of Plan It Florida, a new College Ready Florida initiative, with the goal of ensuring every Florida student graduates high school with a college or career plan.

Plan It Florida provides schools, counselors, and community organizations with resources to help students starting as early as middle school builds a plan for what comes after high school. The goal is to encourage students to explore their interests, career options, and the education they will need after high school to achieve their goals. Plan It Florida pulls together promising practices and strategies from schools and districts throughout the state and nationally that others can learn from and implement for their own students.

The model and inspiration behind Plan It Florida is the “Got College? Got Career?” initiative of the School District of Osceola County. Launched in 2013, Osceola's initiative played a key role in bolstering the county’s college-going rate from 41% in 2012 to 55% in 2017.

FCAN provides free resources and technical assistance to schools and community organizations participating in Plan It Florida. The Plan It Florida toolkit serves as a framework of activities to guide students in thinking about and planning for life after high school. The College and Career Readiness Guide, which schools and organizations are welcome to adapt and brand, provides students and parents with activities as they progress through grades 6-12.

FCAN is also available to provide site coordinator training on Plan It Florida and the other College Ready Florida statewide initiatives to interested school districts and community organizations.

College Ready Florida is a series of statewide initiatives aimed at helping more Florida students access and complete postsecondary education. They include Apply Yourself Florida, which helps high school seniors complete college applications with the assistance of knowledgeable adults; the Florida FAFSA Challenge, which aims to boost the number of Florida high school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid; and Florida College Decision Day, which celebrates the goals and postsecondary plans of students.

Plan It Florida is made possible thanks to the support of Helios Education Foundation and College Football Playoff Foundation. The initiative was developed with the support of the College Ready Florida Steering Committee, which is comprised of college access and career readiness professionals from throughout the state.