Each year, as April rolls around, College Parent Central celebrates an anniversary. We are always pleased, and sometimes a little amazed, that we’re still here a year later.

This year we celebrate our fourteenth year. Happy Anniversary to us!

When we first launched on April 1st in 2009 we weren’t sure what to expect. It seemed somehow appropriate to choose April Fool’s Day. Launch something that seems like a good idea and see what happens. Who knows?

We recognized that college parents (and high school parents, too) needed information and support, and we hoped we could help provide some of that guidance. Now, as we celebrate our fourteenth year, we continue that belief, and parents continue to let us know they appreciate the information we provide.

Thank you to all of those who have given us feedback and support and who have shared our information with others! Word of mouth is still the best way to reach those who can use this information.

Our Mission

It is always a good idea, from time to time, to reflect on your roots. Each time we look back to the purpose that drove us to launch College Parent Central, we reaffirm that our basic principles haven’t changed.

• We believe that parents are partners in their child’s education from pre-school through college.
• We believe that our parental role changes as our child grows, but never ends.
• We believe that parents have a place in their child’s college experience.
• We believe that if parents understand their role in the college experience they will be able to support their student toward success and independence.Our appearance has changed over time (for the better!) Our attention shifts from one topic to another as we learn new things and we all face new challenges. We adapt. But our foundation hasn’t shifted. We still believe that parents matter and have an important role to play in preparing students for college and supporting them while they are there.

We continue to grow and evolve

Anniversaries and birthdays are also ideal occasions to reflect on what we’ve accomplished. Although our body of knowledge has developed slowly over the years – one article, podcast episode, or newsletter at a time, in retrospect we realize we’ve shared a lot.

• College Parent Central now has nearly 850 articles on the website. Use the search function to find the information you need.
• We have over 60 book reviews. If you’re looking for more in-depth information, find a book that speaks to you. (Or listen to our annual Summer Reads podcast episode for our favorites!)
• We’ve had over 5 million visitors to the website and we have over 2400 followers on Twitter.
• We have lists of nearly 300 gift ideas for holidays and graduation. There’s something for everyone.
• The College Parent Central Podcast is now in its 4^th season and we’ve released over 84 episodes. Lynn Abrahams, Learning Disabilities Specialist joins me as co-host and we’re fortunate to be able to interview top leaders in the field as they share information for parents.
• We produced our first e-book – 60 Practical Tips for Using the High School Years to Prepare Your Student for College. (More to come soon.)
• We share even more information through our monthly newsletters. If you’re not on our list, be sure to sign up.
• We continue to help first-year students through our FirstTerm and FreshStart newsletters.
• Now that we’ve mostly emerged from our pandemic isolation, we’re picking up our parent workshops once again. If you have a school, church or work group – or even just a gathering of friends – who’d like to learn more about college parenting, reach out and let’s talk.

Moving forward

Fourteen years ago, we could not have predicted we’d still be here, still finding new things to learn and share, and still reaching out to more and more parents. We look forward to continuing to connect with and support you as you and your student embark on the college parent journey.