For those interested in learning more about pre-college access programs – or seeking to assist such a program in their communities – one of the best organizations to know is the National College Access Network (NCAN). As its name implies, NCAN is a network of organizations that operate and support college access programs throughout the nation.

NCAN’s mission is to improve access to and success in postsecondary education for disadvantaged, under-represented and first-generation students. It does this by supporting a network of state and local college access programs that provide counseling, advice and financial assistance; sharing best practices among the network; providing leadership and technical assistance; and helping establish new college access programs.

The organization’s Web site – www.collegeaccess.org/NCAN/ – includes a state-by-state listing of member organizations, including many of those listed below.

Another source of information about these programs is Lumina Foundation’s McCabe Fund, a grant-making initiative aimed solely at supporting pre-college access programs. Though the McCabe Fund is no longer accepting inquiries for 2006 grants, basic details about the initiative – and a catalog of recent grantees – are available on the Web here .

Below are a few specific pre-college access programs. (Though this list is by no means comprehensive, it does represent the types of pre-college access programs now at work across the country.)

• TRIO programs: Originally three programs (hence its name), Congress established TRIO to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate and move on to participate more fully in America's economic and social life. The expanded cluster of programs, all funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, work to help students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education.
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School: Serving immigrant families of Chicago's near southwest side, this high school offers a Jesuit college-preparatory education through a dual-language curriculum and participation in corporate internships.
• Ohio College Access Network: The first statewide coordinating body for college access programs in the nation, OCAN was founded in 1999 by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Education. OCAN is focused on helping Ohio residents pursue postsecondary education by building and supporting local college access programs throughout the state.
• Boys and Girls Harbor: Founded in Harlem in 1937, this program seeks to empower children and their families to become full, productive participants in society through education, cultural enrichment and social service. Through the development of a positive self-image and a keen awareness of cultural heritage, the program annually helps more than 4,000 individuals gain the skills and confidence necessary for long-term success in education, careers, family and community life.
• Advancement Via Individual Determination: AVID was created at Clairemont High School in 1980 in response to San Diego Unified School District's court-ordered integration of the city’s schools. The program has evolved into a fifth- through 12th grade system that prepares students in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. Beginning with one high school and 32 students, the AVID system is now on the march toward nearly 4,400 schools in 2010.
• Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs: GEAR UP is a discretionary federal grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school.
• Admission Possible: The mission of this program is to help make college admission possible for talented, motivated and economically disadvantaged students in Minnesota by providing ACT test preparation services and admissions and financial aid counseling.
• College Begins in Kindergarten: Based on the theory that early exposure to music and other arts can help to develop the brain’s circuitry, students at Crafton Hills College and its Baroque Festival act as mentors and assistants to provide elementary students opportunities for growth, experimentation and success.