It’s time to get your household organized for another school year and all that comes with it. Whether your child is headed off to kindergarten or going away to college, these useful tips can help make the transition back to the regimented school year easier and get your busy household organized for the upcoming season.Making the Back-to-School Transition Easy![]() (Family Features) It’s time to get your household organized for another school year and all that comes with it. Whether your child is headed off to kindergarten or going away to college, these useful tips can help make the transition back to the regimented school year easier and get your busy household organized for the upcoming season. ![]() Kindergarten
Elementary School
Middle and High School
College
By implementing some of these simple tips, you and your kids can look and feel your best, setting up a seamless, stress-free transition back to the school year. Find more information at all-laundry.com. Photos courtesy of Getty Images ‘all
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College is a significant investment and millions of families each year face the question of how to pay for it. One way students can position themselves for success is by seeking out various forms of financial assistance. These tips can help you identify and apply for scholarships that match your interests and credentials.
Finding Money for College![]() 6 tips for winning scholarships(Family Features) College is a significant investment and millions of families each year face the question of how to pay for it. One way students can position themselves for success is by seeking out various forms of financial assistance. Earning scholarships can be one way to offset the financial burden, but winning a scholarship can sometimes be as competitive as gaining admission to the college of your choice. While most scholarships don’t entirely cover college tuition, they can be useful tools to help cover educational expenses such as room and board, tuition and books. Some scholarships can be earned by meeting or exceeding certain standards, such as academic performance, while other scholarships are based on financial need or personal interests of the applicant. There’s also a wealth of opportunities that support students in specific areas, whether it be from companies, professional organizations or foundations. For example, the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program offers industry-specific scholarships each year for those looking to study agriculture-related fields. While your academic performance, character and extracurricular resume all play a part, knowing where to look for scholarships can make all the difference when it comes time to pay for your education. These tips can help you identify and apply for scholarships that match your interests and credentials. Complete the FAFSA Talk to Your Counselor Apply for Scholarships in Your Field of Interest Don’t Overlook Smaller Award Amounts Look for Essay Applications Use a Scholarship Search Engine ![]() Increasing Your Scholarship OddsWhile there is no way to guarantee a scholarship to help offset the costs of higher education, there are things you can do to increase your odds of getting noticed by admissions departments and those who award scholarships. Before sending in your application, consider these tips: Get Involved Apply Early Look Professional Proofread Photos courtesy of Getty Images SOURCE:Monsanto Fund KEYWORDS
(BPT) - Senior year: It's a time to finish college applications, solidify friendships and look forward to the freedom and the responsibility that come once that final bell rings. A lot of feelings surface during that final year, especially for parents. While your son or daughter might be overjoyed to finally fly the coop and live independently, you'll probably be dealing with your own mix of emotions, and you'll want to be sure they're ready to begin college in the fall. For families with a child headed to college, senior year is best thought of as a transition year. Plan ahead to make sure your family stays on track. To help you and your child with a successful transition, here's the essential list of landmarks on the road that will take your child from a senior in high school to a freshman in college. 1. Apply yourself in the fall The journey to college begins early, and by the fall of senior year in high school, your child should be in full transition mode. They should be finishing campus visits and finalizing the list of colleges where they want to apply. Make sure they've spoken with admission counselors, thoroughly researched schools they're interested in and have everything they need to complete their college applications. Keep tabs on important deadlines and stay organized to avoid missing any critical due dates. For example, will they want to apply early decision or early action? If so, make sure you have weighed how this could impact your financial plan for college. 2. Focus on financial aid from the start For many parents, one of the biggest anxieties around college is the cost. Don't forget that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on Oct. 1, and some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Make sure you submit the form as soon as it's available. Because everyone has different needs, figuring out how to finance your child's education requires some research. At College Ave Student Loans, you can find private loan options for parents and students. Even if you're not ready to take a loan out yet, parents and students can try out the fast and easy pre-qualification tools to find out if their credit pre-qualifies for a loan, and what interest rates they could expect, all without impacting their credit scores. Calculators are also available to help you explore your options and see how you can customize the loan payments to fit your budget. 3. Spring time is decision time Early in the spring, your child will start to receive their first acceptance letters. Once they've heard from all of the schools where they applied, they'll have a big decision to make. They need to do more than just decide which school to attend; they'll also need to send in a deposit, complete their housing form and accept financial aid packages. A crucial step in this process is comparing award letters from the colleges where your child has been accepted. In reading these letters, pay close attention to how schools list the total costs. For instance, some schools will subtract the awarded loan amount from the total cost of attendance, while others will not. This could make the net cost of some schools appear less than others when in reality they are not, so take your time reading the documents. 4. Tie up everything in the summer Before they head to campus, you and your children should create a budget to keep tabs on college bills. This will help you to stay on track financially and set the right expectations about how they need to manage their money. You can help your soon-to-be freshman by working with them to outline a monthly budget that will take into account expected and unexpected expenses. Take a look at their financial aid packages and any income they might be earning and block out the monthly mandatory expenses. Then decide how much money they can spend on things like entertainment. If you find that scholarships, grants and federal aid don't cover everything, private loans could be one solution for some college-bound students. For parents and students, senior year is an exciting period. Knowing what steps to take and staying ahead of financial matters with useful tools like the ones at College Ave Student Loans can help make the transition easier for everyone. To make sure your child’s valuable electronics, books and other essentials are safely stored away this school year, the security solutions experts at Master Lock have collected a handful of easy-to-follow safety measures to protect the belongings students — and their parents — value most. (BPT) - From phones and tablets, to computers and headphones, technology has quickly become an integral component within the daily lives of students of all ages. A departure from the contents of students’ backpacks as little as 10 years ago, these pieces of technology have, on the one hand, made students’ lives easier — including communication and access to necessary information — but also have made the cargo in their bags much more valuable and, consequently, attractive to potential thieves. Low-level theft is an unfortunate reality for schools across the nation. In fact, a recent study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that more students experience incidents of theft and violence at school than away from school. The crime rate works out to roughly 33 victimizations per 1,000 students at school per year. And with backpacks carrying more expensive tech, these thefts at school have left more at stake for students. To make sure your child’s valuable electronics, books and other essentials are safely stored away this school year, the security solutions experts at Master Lock have collected a handful of easy-to-follow safety measures to protect the belongings students — and their parents — value most. * Is it necessary: A natural first step in helping to protect your child’s valuable belongings is to establish if the item is a must-have in school. While they might love their new tablet, so might potential thieves. Having an open discussion about responsibility and what’s necessary will go a long way in keeping their belongings safe. * Quick change: By the time they hit middle school, many students are required to navigate the halls between classes with speed. To make sure they are not late to class while still securing their belongings, try the Master Lock Speed Dial Padlock. With up/down/left/right directional movements, the Master Lock Speed Dial Padlock provides students unparalleled quickness and convenience when opening their lockers in-between periods. * Security on-the-move: Depending on the age, juggling a phone, keys, debit cards and other small valuables is a reality for many students walking the halls at school or paths on campus. The Master Lock Portable Personal Safe is an ideal solution for students looking to securely lock up their belongings between classes or in their dorms at college. * Hide in plain sight: Larger electronics such as laptops, tablets and cameras can often come with their own carrying cases, and when thieves are looking for an item to steal, they look for the cases themselves, trusting the contents will be inside. To help protect your student’s possessions, mix it up and find some other bag or transportation method to house their tech. If thieves don’t see your student walking around with the case in their hands, they’ll be less likely to realize there is something for them to steal. * No key, no problem: While protecting from unwanted intruders, securely locking up a locker at school or in gym class can also accidentally keep out the owners themselves due to a forgotten combination or lost key. Master Lock’s award-winning Indoor Bluetooth Padlock offers students a new way to keep their items safe via a Bluetooth-enabled padlock which turns their phones into the key. This eliminates the hassle of a forgotten combination and gives students a lock only they or authorized users can open. As your child heads back to school this fall, following these simple safety tips can help ensure their valuables don’t fall into the wrong hands. To learn more about protecting your child’s belongings at school with the innovative security solutions from Master Lock, visit Masterlock.com/personal-use/school-gym-health-club. KEYWORDS
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