Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
PHEAA outlines free PA School Services tools, FAFSA help and statewide outreach
Loading...
Summary
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s PA School Services team described free tools, classroom outreach, FAFSA completion help and upcoming webinars, saying the program’s 13 access partners provide hands‑on assistance to students, families and educators across the state.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s PA School Services team used a recorded segment to describe its statewide outreach and resources for students, families and educators, including in‑person FAFSA completion workshops, classroom visits and online tools such as Education Planner and My Smart Borrowing.
PA School Services, the agency said, is staffed by 13 higher education access partners placed around Pennsylvania to provide one‑on‑one help with financial aid, state grant questions and community presentations. Diana, director of PA School Services, said the team’s work is free to the public and emphasized in‑person support: “We have the best job in the agency,” she said, speaking about visits to high schools, libraries and community organizations.
The program offers a range of events and supports: financial aid nights (usually an evening hour starting about 6:00–7:00 p.m.), FAFSA completion workshops with hands‑on help, classroom presentations that include financial literacy and career planning, educator workshops that can carry Act 48 credit, and statewide webinars. PA School Services staff highlighted two upcoming webinars (listed on the program’s events page) focused on scholarship searches and a daytime session for those who cannot attend evenings.
Education Planner and My Smart Borrowing are among the tools PA School Services presents in classrooms. The former provides career information and videos; the latter lets students compare projected first‑year salaries with potential loan payments to reduce overborrowing. Diana described how those demonstrations can reshape students’ plans: she said students often react strongly when they see projected salaries for careers such as veterinary medicine and then weigh that against educational requirements and costs.
Access partners also work directly with counselors and community partners. The program runs financial aid workshops for educators (designed to update counselors on federal and state changes and carry Act 48 credit where eligible), jump‑start presentations for underclassmen, mock interviews and customized school visits. Staff urged organizers to plan events in advance and to coordinate with school calendars to avoid conflicts with athletic or other major events.
On family engagement, the team urged that students attend events with parents or guardians and become involved in the process. Diana said: “Please, just show up,” encouraging students to participate in financial aid nights so they understand loan responsibilities and next steps.
Registration and contact information for access partners and virtual events are available from the agency’s PA School Services pages at pheaa.org/accesspartners and pheaa.org/virtual, the presenters said. They added that access partners can provide individual counseling and that all services are free.
The segment closed with a reminder that “postsecondary” includes trade schools, community colleges, certificate programs and four‑year institutions, and that financial aid and scholarships may be available across those options. The hosts encouraged schools, community partners and families to reach out for help planning, applying and interpreting financial aid offers.
