Counselors, Colleges & Careers

Mental Health

Philly HopeLine

“Philly HopeLine is a free helpline run by Uplift Center for Grieving Children staffed by our Master’s degree-level clinicians. The PHL  is open to all Philadelphia caregivers and youth. Service is available in both English and Spanish.”

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Children's Crisis Response Center & Mobile Crisis Team

For assistance with a behavioral health emergency involving a child under the age of 18, contact the Philadelphia Crisis Line (formerly known as Acute Services) at 215-685-6440. This team is available to provide telephonic support and guidance on involuntary commitments, and should be contacted to request a Children’s Mobile Crisis Team (CMCT).

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Financial Aid & Scholarships

Need Funds for Colleges/Trade Schools?

You want someone else to pay for it?

If your answers are “Yes!” to both questions, continue reading!

You want higher education, right? There are programs, groups, and non-profit organizations that want to help you succeed. You may qualify for financial assistance and may not even know it yet! Personally, I’d take the free money for my education.

Where should we start… Oh, I know! let’s start by searching for Scholarships. I’ll leave some scholarship lookup sites on the side and resources for scholarships that don’t inquire about immigrant status.

Scholarship Search (myscholly.com)
Scholarship Search (scholarships.com)
Scholarship Search (unigo.com)
Scholarship Search (fastweb.com)
Immigrant Scholarship Resources (maldef.org)

Credit to Ms. Jennifer Barbo M.Ed for this information

How To Write A Financial Aid Appeal Letter?
Financial Aid Comparison Tools
How To Read Financial Aid Award Letter?
FAFSA
FAFSA Entrance Counseling
FAFSA Master Promissory Note (MPN)
PHEAA (State Grant Program & Student Loans)

Act 158: Pathways To Graduation

Act 158

Pathways To Graduation

“Act 158 of 2018 (Act 158), signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on October 24, 2018, provides alternatives to Pennsylvania’s statewide requirement of attaining proficiency on the three end-of-course Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) for a student to achieve statewide graduation requirements. 

Effective with the graduating class of 2023, students have the option to demonstrate postsecondary preparedness through one of four additional pathways that more fully illustrate college, career, and community readiness. Keystone Exams will continue as the statewide assessment Pennsylvania uses to comply with accountability requirements set forth in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Although students will no longer be required to achieve proficiency on the Keystone Exams to meet the statewide graduation requirement, students must take the Keystone Exams for purposes of federal accountability. Failure to do so will affect a Local Education Agency (LEA) and school’s participation rate.

The Act 158 Toolkit was designed to provide guidance as a result of the enactments of Act 158 and Act 6 of 2017 (Act 6), which established alternative pathways to meeting statewide graduation requirements for students who are Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators.”

Act 158: Pathways To Graduation Toolkit