Editor's note: The following is a press release from Valley View School District 365U. 

As long as students obtain a high school diploma, “I can promise you there will be a college, university or some other type of post secondary education that is right for them.”

That’s what the head of Valley View School District 365U’s College and Career Readiness program told a group of parents at Tibbott Elementary School’s College Week Lemonade Tailgate event last week.

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• Tibbott Elementary School: 'We're College Bound!'
  

‘We all must help instill a culture in Valley View where all of our children are prepared not only academically but also with the mindset that they can and will go to college,” longtime Bolingbrook resident Dorletta Payton told the group.   

“Parents and the school need to work together to help our children achieve success.”

Payton detailed the importance of children obtaining some sort of post secondary education whether it be a trade school, a community college or four-year school.

“The reality is the jobs of tomorrow require more education,” she said, pointing out that, on average, four-year college graduates earn roughly $22,000 a year more than someone who just has a high school diploma. 

Payton discussed the types of things colleges look for in a student and urged parents to get their children involved in activities, including community volunteer work, as they get older. She also suggested that a rigorous curriculum in high school, something VVSD has instituted in the past several years, is critical.

“Promote good study habits in your child. And come to the school and get involved. Meet with your child’s teacher,” she said. “But the number one thing you can do for your child right now is read. Good readers make good thinkers and writers.”

Payton, who is helping coordinate a districtwide effort to prepare all children for a post secondary education, praised Tibbott’s college awareness program which has been in existence for three years.