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Kids at summer school

Summer School Is A Good Thing

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Summer school has gotten a bad rap. Back in my day, summer school meant that you didn’t do so well during the school year and had to make up a class or two. For most folks, that’s probably still the way summer school is perceived today. However, there are several compelling reasons to consider summer school activities for your child, and in this post we’ll take a look at some of those.

1) College courses offer a head start on college. Summertime is a great opportunity for your high school junior or senior to pick up a course. Local community colleges and universities have programs for kids this age to get some of their introductory courses out of the way. In addition, summer terms at college are usually a little more relaxed because the number of students on campus is way down. Taking a course in the summer is also a good way to get introduced to the college classroom.

2) High school credit can be earned ahead of its scheduled time. If college classes aren’t your goal, but you want to take advantage of the summer break, then why not use summer school to get an upcoming class completed ahead of time? Any class offered can generally be taken as long as you meet the prerequisites and pay the required fees to attend. This just might get you out of school early during your senior year, or if you play it properly you might even graduate in three years instead of four.

3) Remedial programs aren’t just for those kids who failed a subject. Maybe your son or daughter struggled with the concepts in one class and might benefit from an accelerated approach. Some schools also allow a grade received in summer school to replace a poor grade received during the year, thus boosting your grade point average.

4) Put together you own creative summer school activities at home. Attending summer school can be a pain because of the hours and rigid schedule, plus it costs to attend these classes. Doing it yourself keeps it flexible and allows you to make it fun. Here are four ways to get started:

  • There are so many resources available online for parents to create their own program and help their kids get a step ahead for next year. To find ideas like this, use search topics like “fourth grade worksheets” or “lessons for fourth grade” but tailored to the grade that your child is going into. You can also add specific subject areas to your searches if your child is struggling in a specific area.
  • You could also search for field trip ideas and take your kids on day trips during the summer to experience some of these places.
  • Find a few crafts and tap into your kid’s creative side. The big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot often have free projects on Saturday mornings for kids. And Pinterest and other mom-friendly sites contain thousands of ideas that you might use.
  • Encourage reading through summer library programs. I posted on this last year and my daughter is currently doing this for her third consecutive year. It’s a great way to read without the pressures of study and homework.

Summer school isn’t just for underachievers anymore. Nor is summer school strictly defined as a formal program any longer. If the summer break is used strategically as part of an overall academic plan, students can move ahead of their peers both literally and figuratively. And at home, it’s just a good idea for parents to do some kind of activity during the summer break to keep their kids motivated towards learning.

Application Question: What can you do to keep academics and learning alive for your child during the summer months? Comments are welcome!

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Scholarship Secrets Every Parent Should Know, Part 1

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In the world of scholarships and every parent’s struggle to pay for college, there is a dizzying array of choices and options marketed to juniors and seniors. This post reveals some of the most valuable secrets that every parent and student should know in order to maximize their scholarship offers.

Scholarship Preparation Begins Before High School. In way too many schools and homes, administrators, teachers, parents and students start talking about scholarships about halfway through high school. By then it is too late. Grade point average (GPA), extracurricular activities, and service and volunteer opportunities demonstrate what you’ve accomplished through high school and are extremely important to scholarship selection committees. The best time to begin preparing for scholarships is in middle school or junior high. The second best time is now.

Make Sure That You Know The Deadlines. Colleges have strict deadlines for priority scholarship consideration, usually December 1 of your child’s senior year. Plus, if your school requires the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) then there is a separate deadline to have that paperwork submitted. Be sure that all applications and paperwork have been submitted prior to the stated deadlines.

Some Scholarships Are Automatic. We tend to think of scholarships as awards which have many applicants with only one recipient. Almost every college has merit scholarships for incoming freshmen, which are awarded based on academic achievement. To qualify, you must generally meet a GPA and entrance exam score combination. Know what those limits are by checking the scholarship information on each school’s web site.

You Must Enter To Win. This is a mistake that I made during my high school years. In order to receive a scholarship offer from a given school, you must be accepted as a student at that university. Schools don’t just send out scholarship offers to all students who qualify; you must go through the application for admission process in order to be considered. This means that you must complete the application for admission, pay the required application fees, and submit your high school transcript and entrance exam scores for each school that you’re interested in. Don’t overlook this very important step.

Bigger Is Not Always Better. It is easy to look at the monetary value of all scholarship awards and take the one with the highest value. That’s not necessarily the best approach. A better way to look at it is to figure out the total cost of attendance at each school and determine how much will not be covered after all scholarships and financial aid has been applied. The “right” choice from a financial standpoint is the one with the smallest deficit.

In the next post, I will reveal four more secrets that parents and students need to know. By equipping yourself with this knowledge and paying attention to all of the deadlines, you will find yourself miles ahead of the pack and in a position to maximize your scholarship opportunities.

Application Question – Have you begun to research scholarship opportunities? Are you facing upcoming deadlines for your high school senior? Do you talk with your child about rounding out their resume as they approach scholarship time?

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You’ve Got Your Diploma, Now What?

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In the last couple of weeks, high schools across America have graduated the class of 2012. As the tassels were moved to the right side of the cap, thoughts about “what next” drifted through the minds of graduates and their parents alike. In this article, I’ll look at five of the most common scenarios for each year’s graduating class and give some tips that you might not have thought of for each.

An interesting article came out a couple of weeks ago on MSN Careers about what happens after high school. According to the article, fully 68% of all 2011 high school graduates were in college as of October 2011. Among black, white, and Hispanic students, each category averaged between 66% and 67%. However, 86.7% of all Asian students were enrolled in college, speaking to the cultural importance of education among the Asian community. As I build out my list below, I’ll work from what I perceive as the most common scenario to the least common.

You’re going to college in the fall. You’ve been admitted and orientation is just around the corner. Some points of consideration for students in this category revolve around how to pay for college and how to get off to a good start. I recommend enrolling for classes as soon as possible and buying books and required materials in the most economical manner. School-based scholarship deadlines have passed but students should continue to seek other resources like private scholarships to lessen the financial burden for the fall. Begin to look for part-time work; according to the article mentioned above only 38.8% of those in college were working or looking for work.

Not going to college, working instead. There is no shame at all in going straight to the workplace. According to the same article mentioned above, 68.7% of those students who did not continue on to college held some type of job. If you are working at this age, it likely is not the dream job that you someday hope to hold. However, don’t let that deter you; be taking stock of your talents, skills, abilities, personality traits, dreams, and passions and be proactively moving towards a career that matches all of those. Check out these books, both on my Resources page: 48 Days To The Work You Love (for job hunters) or No More Dreaded Mondays (for budding entrepreneurs) both by Dan Miller.

Wanting to go to college but no solid plans. Maybe you didn’t perform as well as you would have liked in high school. Perhaps you were not admitted to your school of choice and gave up at the time, but now you’ve regrouped. Or, the money just isn’t there to go to your number one school. A great solution for those in this situation is to go to a local community college in the fall. The cost is much less than a four-year university and there are programs to ensure that your credits are accepted when you transfer. Please, whatever you do, don’t take out a student loan to cover any deficits. Read this article for reasons why.

Military. An excellent option, this one overlaps the working category. And if you have college plans, the Post 9/11 GI Bill is an AWESOME plan to go to school after you separate. While you are in the military, if you can choose a specialty that lines up with your talents, skills, abilities, personality traits, dreams, and passions, rather than simply taking the recommendation based on your ASVAB scores.

Service and volunteerism. The motivations and intrinsic rewards from service can be excellent, and everyone should be involved at some level in serving others. Especially since you’re giving your time away, choose something that you are passionate about and love doing. Be careful, though, not to hide behind your volunteer roles to avoid moving into the workplace and becoming independent. Reference the same books listed above to find work that fits you.

All in all, in whatever path you choose you are entering a new phase of life. College is certainly an excellent option but is by no means a guarantee of success, so if you aren’t starting in the fall then don’t let that discourage you. In fact, if you aren’t ready for college or don’t yet know what you want to do with your life, then exploring one of the other options will be much better than spending all that money to “find yourself.” Congratulations class of 2012 – go out and change the world!

Application Question – Are you or your new graduate accepting college without a plan? Have you considered the options listed above and the tips associated with each?

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Twelve Service Opportunities for Your Child

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For your aspiring college student, nothing rounds out a stellar academic performance like a solid history of service. Scholarship committees, particularly those who award the endowed scholarships, like to know that their money is going to someone with a history of giving back. With summer coming, your student will have time on their hands to give back to the community so in this post we’ll look at some of the opportunities in your back yard or halfway around the world.

  1. Your child could participate in a Habitat for Humanity project. If you live in a mid to large-sized town, there should be several projects going on at any one time. You can find more information at http://www.habitat.org.
  2. Nursing homes are always eager to have young people to visit with the residents. Your son or daughter can read to the residents, visit and talk with them, or share a particular talent they may have. Find a home online in your local area and call the coordinator for more information.
  3. Community projects, like playground or park cleanup efforts, are a good one-time activity that lets your child participate on a Saturday. Look for these events to be posted on local signs, businesses, or in the community newspaper.
  4. Your teenager might participate as an assistant coach for a child’s sports team like baseball or basketball. This is a solid opportunity to develop leadership skills as well as teach some skills to up and coming kids. Check with the local youth recreation organization to find out more about this.
  5. To continue the theme of mentoring younger children, your teenager might be a tutor, ambassador, or student aid in the local elementary or middle school. As part of the development process for these younger kids, schools look for role models that have come through the system and can represent the system well.
  6. Maybe your child wants to pursue career interests. While finding a paying job might be a challenge, doing an unpaid internship or assistantship can be an excellent service opportunity. It also gives them a chance to see if their career interests in a particular field are worth pursuing. Universities and private businesses in the area are the best candidates for this opportunity.
  7. Churches across America put on Vacation Bible School during the summer. Typically a week-long event, they are always on the lookout for teens who can help out. Churches also typically participate in a food pantry or soup kitchen ministry to the local needy or homeless. Teens are always welcome to help distribute food at these venues.
  8. For animal lovers, your local zoo might be a possibility for a service opportunity. During the higher-traffic summer months they use volunteers for any number of tasks to help the full-time staff. Animal shelters are mostly non-profit and could use your child’s help. Find their website and contact them for more information.
  9. Summer camps are filled with activities that teens could help with if they are unable to secure a paid camp worker spot. Check with the camps in your area.
  10. Summer festivals are always in need of volunteers, and your child can benefit from free admission and other perks of helping the organization put on their event. As news of the event comes out, find their website for contact information.
  11. Fundraising activities like Light The Night and other events always need volunteers. As with other one-time events, consult with the website to learn more.
  12. Thinking more globally, there are mission opportunities around the globe that your church may participate in. These can be more costly because of the transportation and lodging involved, but they can be a wonderful teaching tool for your child to understand the challenges facing people in other countries. Raising money for such a trip is also a good character-building exercise. Check with your church and begin to plan early as immunizations, passports, and other requirements will have to be met.

Whatever activities your child participates in, they need to connect with a sponsor or supervisor who can validate their work if necessary. I also recommend finding something that your child can get excited about instead of just going through the motions. They might be called upon to relate their story to others, so hopefully their experiences will make an impression on them and they can take something of value from their service. The service credit earned might satisfy some scholarship requirement, but it is the memories and the experience that will impact your child and make a difference in their life.

Question – Is my child getting adequate exposure to the problems facing the world around them? Do they understand the importance of giving back? 

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Negotiation Time – Maximizing Your Scholarship Offers

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High school seniors across the country are receiving their scholarship offers right about now. In our last post we talked about making sense out of those offers by placing a per-year dollar amount on awards from each school. Once that process is complete, you and your senior might find that their preferred school has not made the best offer. In this post we will look at ways to maximize those offers through negotiation with each school.

You have probably found through your calculations that your child’s scholarship offers fall short of the full cost of attending college. Outside of athletic scholarships, a “full ride” where everything is paid is rare. If this is your situation, negotiating can close the out-of-pocket gap for your child’s college education. Or, if your child does have a full ride, then negotiating can actually put money in your child’s pocket. The way financial aid works, any funds remaining after all costs have been paid to the university is refunded to the student. So, whatever your child’s initial scholarship situation, it pays to negotiate.

I believe that there are four steps you can take in order to get the best deal possible from a school. I recommend taking these steps with each school under consideration because you might be surprised at each school’s willingness to bring your child in as a student. The four steps in the process are:

First, recognize that the first offer is just that – an offer. Schools, particularly public institutions, will tell you that they have little leeway but there is always room to negotiate. Ask for additional scholarship money. You might also ask for additional aid in the form of work study, grant money for particular programs, research assistantships, or other non-scholarship programs.

Second, play each school against one another. If there is a school that you really want to go to but you have a better offer from a similar school, use that information to negotiate with your ideal school. The worst they can do is say is no.

Third, ask for discounts. Private schools may be more willing to offer these than public schools, but it can’t hurt to ask. This may come in the form of a fee waiver, tuition or room discount, or other enticement. Your child might be considering an out-of-state school; perhaps the school will give your child the in-state tuition rate, which is generally half the cost. If you get this, be sure to lock it in for the full term of your undergraduate studies.

Fourth, for each of these strategies, be prepared to make your case as to why you are deserving of these considerations. It may take a couple of conversations with your school’s scholarship office, and it becomes easier for them to gain approval if you tell a compelling tale.

Once you’ve made your best deal, go back to the previous post on analyzing your scholarship offers and update your numbers. We will use the results from this process in the next post where we make the college decision.

Besides purchasing a home, college is generally the largest financial commitment that an individual will make during their lifetime. If your child is in the position where they have multiple scholarship offers to consider, this can remove that huge burden. Using these negotiation tactics wisely, you may be able to improve your offers significantly. The last thing you want to do is leave money on the table. Next time we’ll look at making the big decision and committing to the college of your choice.

What other tactics can you suggest? Where have you seen this work? Please share your thoughts and feedback on this topic.

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Award Time – Making Sense Out of Your Senior’s Scholarship Offers

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Your child has worked hard for years, and now the fruits of their labor are ready for harvest. March is the time when the scholarship offers begin to roll in for high school seniors across the nation. Mom and Dad are perhaps at their proudest and schools begin to woo your senior in earnest. It is a time of joy and celebration but it can also be a confusing time for those with multiple offers. How do you make sense of these offers? Let’s spend a few minutes talking about it.

Start by getting organized. The scholarship offers should all come in letter form, so collect all of those letters and sort them by school. Create a spreadsheet or a simple handwritten table with each school’s name at the top of each column. Then review each letter to determine the details of the award. Put the awards that are renewable each year at the top of the column and put the one-time awards next in the column. For all awards that are dependent on choosing a particular major or program, place those at the bottom of the column.

Some of the renewable awards might say “full tuition, books, and fees” instead of a specific amount. You can handle this by checking on the school website for the projected costs for each of these categories for the upcoming school year and using those values instead. Make sure that you understand if tuition includes in-state or out-of-state amounts and plug in the proper amount.

Next, we’ll annualize each school’s offer. What this means is that the recurring awards should be converted into the annual amount if not readily available. Divide the one-time awards by four to determine the annual amount for each of these scholarships. Finally, for the department-specific awards, convert those to an annual amount by determining if they are renewable or one-time and treating those like described previously. Sum up the annualized offers from each school and to find the total year-one award that the school is offering.

Your child might also receive scholarship offers from independent sources that can be used at any school. Those offers should also be converted to an annualized amount if not already in that form and added to each school’s total amount. This is because that amount needs to be factored in at all schools, although you will only use it at the one you attend. The alternative is to leave off these awards because they are the same wherever you go, but I like to include them so that you can determine the total out-of-pocket or surplus for each school.

On each school’s website you should be able to find the total first-year cost for an incoming freshman. Transfer that information to the table or spreadsheet below the total award amount for each school. Be sure that the expenses include everything that your child may spend, and be sure that you’re looking at the total yearly cost and not just the first semester. Also make sure that you pull the right number from the in-state or out-of-state student category as applicable to your child. Many schools now require first-year students to live on campus and have a meal plan so be sure that room and board are included if applicable. Make sure that you include an amount for books and supplies if not factored in to the school’s total cost.

Here’s where the fun begins. Subtract the total first year cost from the total annual award amount. If the amount is zero or positive, congratulations – your child can go to that school free for the first year, and any positive amount will be refunded to your child. If the amount is negative, that is the out-of-pocket cost that your child will incur during the first year.

There might be other money or opportunity from grants depending on your family’s situation, but this gives you a way to normalize all of the offers so that you understand the real financial impact. In the next post we’ll try to figure out what it all means and help you with the decision-making process.

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Twenty-Six Jobs For Teens

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My middle child starts his first job today – congratulations Nick! As we get closer to summer more and more kids will be looking for work. In addition, more companies will have temporary openings as their own permanent staff enjoys vacations with their families so the opportunity is there for summer help. This post will take a look at several work ideas for kids and discuss the practical life lessons that parents can teach through a child’s work activities.

Here is my list of twenty-six possible jobs, in no particular order:

  • Lifeguard
  • Fast food worker
  • Busboy
  • Server or host
  • Grocery store clerk
  • Mowing yards and general yard work
  • Babysitting
  • Dog walking
  • Retail clothing stores
  • Tutoring
  • Musical lessons
  • Social media work
  • Bookkeeping
  • Working on construction crew
  • Camp counselor
  • Cleaning houses
  • Photography work
  • Movie theater attendant
  • Vet clinic assistant
  • Delivery person
  • Personal assistant
  • Computer repair and home network setup
  • Car washing and detailing
  • Amusement park worker
  • House sitting
  • Office attendant

Of course, not all children can do these jobs. Some require certain skills, while others require a driver’s license and access to a vehicle. Some of these jobs are seasonal and summer only, while others could be part-time jobs year round. For the budding entrepreneur, there are jobs in this list that could be done on a freelance basis for multiple customers so several of these could be the start of a small business.

Parents need to encourage this activity as there are so many good lessons that kids can learn from the demands of a job. Besides the obvious lessons on responsibility and working as part of a team, parents have the opportunity to teach some sound financial principles from a recurring stream of income. Issues such as taxes, saving, budgeting, and so forth are best taught when the child has their own income to work from. With a steady paycheck, it also gives the parents an opportunity to open a checking account with their child and teach them basic checkbook management.

If your child wants to work, I strongly encourage you to let them explore the possibilities. In this economy I understand that there are people struggling to find work. However, most of the jobs that I mentioned above are generally pretty dynamic and companies are always in need of people to fill these roles.

Your child’s grades and overall responsibility and accountability are important considerations, but if at all possible it would be good idea to get your teen in the workforce. The experience gained from working a job will follow them into college and possibly give them an advantage when seeking on-campus employment. The lessons that they learn from work can be valuable content for the scholarship essay or interview. You, and society as a whole, will appreciate that your child has learned about work and how to handle money before they move into adulthood.

What other ideas do you have for summer jobs? Are there jobs that you think teens should avoid? At what age do you think it is appropriate for a teen to work? Readers please comment with your thoughts!

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Ten Tips To Add $650 Per Month to Your Budget

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If you’ve gone through the steps to figure out how much college might cost, you have probably discovered that it’s an intimidating number. In most households, there isn’t much left over at the end of each month to save money for college. Unless, of course, you’re willing to work extra to bring in some more income or cut your spending to make room in your budget. While working more might seem like a good idea because your lifestyle doesn’t have to change, quality of life will suffer because one or both parents will spend more time working. It’s been my experience that you can work extra for only so long before burnout sets in. So, let’s look at possibilities for finding some hidden money that already exists in your monthly budget.

For starters, look at your cable bill and television usage. If you cut out those premium channels, that could save $30 per month. Are you spending a lot at Redbox? Each trip is a dollar plus tax, but the hidden cost is in the amount you spend in gas to pick up and return the movie. Look at Netflix, Vudu, or Hulu if you are a movie buff and save these fees. Or, if you’ve subscribed to these services but aren’t using them, consider cutting them off. Average savings $15 per month either direction.

Cutting off your home phone, considered radical just a few years ago, is becoming easier with the number of minutes included in cell phone plans. Take this step to free up another $40 per month.

While you’re looking at your cell plan, make adjustments to ensure that you aren’t paying overages or that you aren’t paying for more services than you are using. Average savings $25 per month.

If you eat out every day for lunch, you’re probably averaging $40 per week on lunches. Each meal you can take from home can save $8 per day. Do this just twice per week and you can find another $64 per month. If both parents work and can do this, that makes $128 per month. OK, I’ll admit that the food you take for lunch isn’t free, but I still think you can save $100 per month.

Go back to food for a minute. There are families that spend more in eating out each month than they do on groceries. Let’s say that your family eats out three nights per week, two fast food and one sit-down meal, at a cost of $30 per night for the fast food and $60 for the sit down meal. Trade in the fast food meals for eating at home and save $240 per month. If fast food is a reality because of activities, then trade in the sit down meal. Either way, the impact to your budget per month is the same. Subtract the cost of groceries you’ll spend instead and you can still save $160 per month.

What services do you pay for that you just don’t use? What about that gym membership? That could be $80 per month by cancelling it and instead walking the neighborhood with your family.

Mom and Dad, maybe you both could look at your hobbies. Dad, do you fish or golf once per week? Mom, what about the night out with the girls where you scrapbook, paint, or do some other hobby? What if you cut those in half an instead moved to twice per month? If each outing averages $25, then this could lead to $100 a month to add to your budget.

Consider couponing. You don’t have to go to the extremes that you see on TV but there are ways to save money on your weekly grocery bill and dining out. Guys tend to be more reluctant than the ladies towards coupons but these can save a bundle. I can often eat lunch for $4 per day using a coupon. Just be sure to shop and buy in the same patterns that you always have; don’t let coupons be an excuse to buy more. Possible savings – $50 per month.

Combine your trips. With gas at $3.30 per gallon or more, each trip needs to count. Eliminate two runs to the grocery store per week; if each takes a gallon of gas this saves roughly $25 for the month.

Do the same thing for getting your kids to and from school. Use the bus or find a carpool buddy. If you can save half of your school trips, this could save each mom another $25 per month or more.

Nothing radical or painful here, just some good common sense ways to spend more wisely and find money to save for your child’s college. Pay attention and you might find the money already exists in your budget. What are some other ways that you’ve found to save in your home?

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What is Value? Using The Best College Value Lists

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I wrote a post last month on the Kiplinger Best College Values rankings, and the usual suspects are following suit in releasing their lists. US News and World Report and Princeton Review have released their 2012 lists. Although there is some good information in these lists, how should parents and students use these publications?

There is some good information on a lot of colleges collected in one location. You can find contact information, entrance exam scores, graduation rates, cost estimates and more in these lists. If you use the online versions, you can generally sort the list on any field that makes sense to you.

However, be leery of the rankings. The criteria and scoring mechanisms that each of these publications applies are all different. Some might place more weight on graduation rate, others on overall cost, still others on admission requirements and average exam scores. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the vast majority of employers do not care about the name of the college that issues your degree.

Unfortunately, many colleges have caught on to how their overall rank is calculated and found ways to work the system. In an article from USAToday, several instances of outright cheating have been noted; either a school falsely reports data or they do something like have their incoming freshmen retake their entrance exam to boost score averages. Or, they do something more subtle like increase the amount of merit aid awarded to inflate their average aid amounts, while the average student doesn’t see any more grant or scholarship money because they don’t qualify for merit aid.

What started out as a guide to parents and students has turned into a weapon that the colleges hope to gain control of. From the same article, fully 70% of all colleges use their rankings in marketing materials sent to prospective students. However, a study found that of the criteria used in college selection, the national ranking averages 11th most important among incoming freshmen. To say that the rankings are more important to the colleges than to the students would be an accurate assessment.

Many of these lists ignore the two-year community and junior colleges. I believe that overlooking those schools would be a mistake, especially for a student that doesn’t have the scholarships or financial backing to attend a four-year institution. Be sure that you include those schools in your short list of institutions.

To be fair, the majority of colleges play by the rules. Some colleges have improved their rankings because they have done a good job to address items that are of value to the student. These areas include faculty-student ratio, class size, and programs aimed at retention and graduation rate. As you consult these lists, pay more attention to these indicators.

To derive true value, colleges need to begin tracking their students after graduation. Students attend college to enhance their career options and employability. What if colleges tracked, at the one-year and five-year mark after graduation, things like percent employment, percent employed in their major field of study, average salary, promotability, number of businesses started by graduates, and so forth? To me, this information gets to the heart of the value that colleges should provide – how attending their school benefits students in the marketplace.

In summary, don’t put too much stock in the rankings. Colleges care about their spot on the chart, but employers do not. Choose a school that offers your major, that is affordable, and that is accredited. Use these lists as an appendix to your search and not to drive the college selection process.

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Drive Time – Thoughts on Teenage Drivers

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One of the rites of passage into adulthood is learning to drive. When I was a kid I could not wait to learn to drive. It creates a level of freedom for a young adult that they have previously not experienced. But just because the state says that they’re old enough to drive doesn’t necessarily mean that your child is ready for that responsibility. My thoughts on our experience follow below.

I have two that have reached driving age, 19 and 16, both boys. The elder son is driving, but the younger one is not. He went through the traditional route of permit at 15 and license at 16. He drove our older vehicle until this past summer when he turned 19 and purchased his own car. He was able to go off to college for his entire freshman year without a vehicle. Although he lived out of town, he was on campus so he was able to get to class and to food without a car. It saved him gas, it saved him maintenance, and it saved him insurance. He now owns his own car and pays his own insurance policy. So, having a drivers license and a car are not a necessity.

We took a different approach with the younger son. For various reasons, he has not gotten his permit yet. It has not really caused any problems except that he hasn’t experienced those freedoms that come with driving. What it has done to help is keep us from adding a teenage driver to our insurance policy. This is something that parents of aspiring drivers need to be aware of – once you add a driver to your policy, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remove them from your policy. You must provide proof that your young driver has another policy in force, and in most states a child cannot purchase their own insurance policy until they reach the age of majority.

Car insurance is expensive for teens. It can be twice as much or more than your policy as a parent, assuming you have a relatively clean driving history. Most insurance companies offer a discount for good students where proof of GPA or honor-roll status can shave some dollars off of the premium. This discount can continue into college, so it can help you or your child save on car insurance for some time (another reason to maintain good grades). However, because driver’s education is being offered in most public schools, many companies have ended their premium discount for having taken that course.

Speaking of driver’s education, at least in the state of Alabama you can now obtain your driver’s license by completing the course through your school. Of course, your son or daughter must have their permit to take driver’s education, but many cash-strapped states are now offering the license at the completion of the course instead of performing the dreaded road test. Check with your state to find out more about this option.

I applaud the states that have delayed licensing until age 17 or 18, and for those who have restricted the number of passengers and time of day which students can drive. Teens are all much too susceptible to peer pressure, and winning the respect and admiration of their friends is one of their highest motivators. A teen driver will take risks, especially with passengers, which they may not take otherwise because the potential reward outweighs any danger in their mind.

Whether your state delays the age of licensing or not, you as a parent can always decide this for your child. Use the following guidelines if you’re on the fence:

  • Consider their school performance. Their grades, their homework, feedback from their teachers, disciplinary actions, and so forth have a direct correlation to their maturity level.
  • What about their demonstrated level of responsibility? Simple things like doing their chores without being asked, if you trust them to keep younger siblings, or if they keep their word are all important.
  • Do they keep their present curfew? If they are habitually late, do you think having driving privileges will make that better or worse?
  • Are they always where they tell you they will be? If they have a habit of lying or covering up to go somewhere that you told them not to go, then having a vehicle will probably make that situation that much worse.
  • How do they handle peer pressure? Can they stand on their own and do the right thing even when being encouraged by their friends to do otherwise? This speaks to their ability to use good judgment, critical when driving a vehicle.

Ultimately, it is your decision as a parent when you allow your child to drive. Driving is a privilege which carries significant responsibility. If your child isn’t ready, please do not put them behind the wheel.

 

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