Since I-LEAD launched the Achieve College Education (ACE) program in 2005, more than 1000 of you have earned your associate degree and many of you have gone on to earn a bachelor’s degree. It took a lot of heart and courage and determination to get through school while working, taking care of kids, and dealing with the random stuff life throws at you.
The ACE program was specifically set-up for people who simply couldn’t travel to a college campus several times a week, at different times of the day, to take classes. It was set-up to fit in with all of your other responsibilities that working parents have.
This fall, we are taking ACE into the foster care community in the Philadelphia region. Like many of you, young adults in foster care have to overcome many hurdles as they move through life. To many, getting to college, navigating the bureaucracy, while often feeling unprepared academically, seems like too much. The supportive services provided by ACE Site Coordinators will also be available to these young adults to facilitate their awareness of the importance of higher education to secure a stable future, and enroll in and complete an associate degree program through our new Site Partner, Delta Community Supports/Delta Family Services at both its Glenside and Levittown locations. Delta Community Supports is a leader in the human services field and committed to enriching the lives of those served and nurturing the development of staff. The Supervised Independent Living Program (SIL) for youth aging out of foster is hosted in Glenside and the first class starts this fall. If you know a young adult in the foster care system or someone who is soon to age out of care, let us know. We can help! Send an email to Cynda at cclyde@i-leadusa.org or call 877-427-7037 x3.