College Parent Central is 16 years old today! That’s right. Sweet Sixteen. It’s a big day!
This means we’ve spent a lot of years focusing on college parents, learning everything we can about college parenting, and sharing as much as we are able to help make your journey go more smoothly and to let you know you’re not alone. We’re here for you. That’s the reason College Parent Central exists.
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? A fool’s effort? A joke? Or something that can help parents manage the college journey. 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 16th year doing this work, we continue that belief, and parents continue to let us know they appreciate the information we provide.
First things first
As we celebrate this anniversary, the first and most important thing to say is thank you. We are grateful for the many parents, educators and counselors who have shared our information with others, who have provided us with helpful feedback, and who have taught us so much over the years.
Thank you.
You have kept us going. You have inspired us. You have taught us and let us know what matters to you.
We’ve grown – slowly but surely
Birthdays and anniversaries are good times to reflect on where we’ve come from and also to look to the future. Although our body of knowledge has developed slowly over the years, one article, podcast episode, email or e-book at a time, in retrospect we realize we’ve produced a lot.
College Parent Central now has over 900 articles, including more than 60 book reviews and lists of over 300 holiday and graduation gift ideas. We’ve just released our 130th podcast episode and we now have 4 cohosts. We’ve had over 5 million visitors to the website and we continue to get new followers and new email subscribers.
Our first e-book 60 Practical Tips for Using the High School Years to Prepare Your Student for College Success helps parents take the small steps in high school that can make a difference. We’ve learned that good college parenting begins well before your student enters college. We have a new e-book coming soon – all about the summer before college. Stay tuned for more information in May.
Sixteen years ago, we felt the college parent world was a bit of a lonely place. We’re pleased to have so much company now. More and more people are recognizing college parents’ need for support and information and the important part they play in their student’s journey through college. More is being written or shared through podcasts. More conversation is taking place. Parents no longer need to figure everything out alone. We’re interested to see that many of the topics we covered 15 years ago are being rediscovered and lifted up. (We like to think we just might have been a bit ahead of the curve.)
Moving forward
Sixteen years ago we would not have predicted that we’d still be here this many years later – and we definitely would not have anticipated that we’d include a podcast. (Did we know what podcasts were back then?) But we’re still finding new things to learn and share, and still reaching out to more and more parents.
We’ve learned it’s best not to predict what’s ahead, but we’re always searching.
We look forward to continuing to connect with and support parents – whether through articles, podcast episodes, e-books, or visiting with your school group, church parents’ group, or just a group of friends. In person gatherings are still our favorite. (Check out our workshops page for more information.)
The world of college students and their parents has changed a lot in 16 years, and it often feels as though the rate of that change is accelerating. The pressing issues of today may be forgotten in a year or two as we all face new issues, but other issues and questions remain the same over the years. As students in the classroom change, parenting changes as well. We hope to be here to explore new issues along with you.
Thank you
If you’ve read this far, thanks for indulging us in a bit of self-congratulation. We believe the work we are doing is important. We like to think we can provide information and reassurance that will help you.
Thank you for allowing us to join you on this journey.
If you’ve just discovered College Parent Central, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list to receive helpful monthly newsletters (and we promise never to share your information.) We also encourage you to look through our library of articles to find the ones that speak to you. There’s a lot of information available.
Let us know in the comments, or by sending us an email (vnelson@collegeparentcentral.com) what you’d like to hear more about. We welcome – and need – your feedback.
So – thanks again. And now – cue the balloons and confetti!
