College Planning Starts Before Senior Year: A Free Roadmap for Families

“My daughter graduates in 2029. Can we apply for scholarships now? Should we apply to colleges already? What records do we need?”

These are questions many families have. Parents want to help, but knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming.

The Johnel Bryant Robinson Foundation and St. Charles Tutoring Lab have added a free Family College Roadmap to Test Ready to help families turn those questions into practical next steps.

What Can Your Family Do Now?

College planning can begin well before application season. Students can explore careers, strengthen reading and math skills, plan high school courses, research colleges, and look for scholarships that accept their age or grade.

Submitting college applications usually comes later, in the cycle leading into senior year and during senior year. Scholarships have their own eligibility rules and deadlines, so families should check each opportunity individually.

The roadmap includes a Class of 2029 example to help parents see how preparation today connects to applications later.

A Roadmap You Can Use Together

The free guide helps families understand:

  • What to focus on at each stage, from middle school through senior year
  • When to research and when to apply for college and scholarships
  • Which school records may be needed and who typically submits them
  • How to explore out-of-state colleges and compare costs
  • Why admission, scholarship, testing, and financial aid deadlines need separate attention
  • How test preparation fits into the bigger college plan

There is also a printable family checklist so you can choose one or two next steps without trying to do everything at once.

Explore the Free Family College Roadmap →

No sign-in is required to read or share the roadmap.

Why Include Test Preparation?

Test preparation belongs in the conversation because students need time to build skills, understand the test format, and practice pacing.

It is also important to check scholarship requirements separately from admission requirements. Some opportunities consider or require ACT or SAT scores even when a college offers test-optional admission. Requirements vary, so families should verify the policies for their student’s colleges and entry year.

The goal is to make informed decisions and give students time to prepare.

Try Test Ready Free: A Special Offer for Our First 30 Participants

Alongside the roadmap, we’re inviting families to try Test Ready, our preparation platform offered through the Foundation in collaboration with St. Charles Tutoring Lab.

Building on the Lab’s experience with tutoring, ACT preparation, and CLEP camps, Test Ready includes:

  • ACT, SAT, and PSAT preparation options
  • A Reading Lab with comprehension activities
  • Interactive strategy games
  • Videos, learning resources, and links to official practice
  • A four-week mission plan built around a 15-minute daily routine
  • An Insight Notebook for reviewing mistakes and recording strategies
  • A Family Game Plan for learning together

Full-length practice tests require additional time beyond the daily routine.

The first 30 participants to redeem TESTREADYPILOT receive three months of free access.

No payment information is required, and there is no automatic renewal. Your three months begin when you redeem the code.

How to Join

  1. Visit Test Ready.
  2. Sign in with your email address. Check your spam or junk folder if the sign-in email does not appear.
  3. Find “Have a pilot coupon?”
  4. Enter TESTREADYPILOT and select “Activate free pilot access.”

Use the same email address when returning on another device to keep your access and saved progress connected.

Help Us Make It Better

We invite participating students and parents to share honest, respectful, and constructive feedback through the form inside Test Ready.

Tell us what helped, what was confusing, or what could work better. Specific examples help us make useful improvements. Please avoid including private student information.

Preparation does not guarantee a particular score, scholarship, or admission decision. Our goal is to help families understand their options and build a manageable plan—one step at a time.

Open the Free College Roadmap →

Join the Test Ready Pilot →
Code: TESTREADYPILOT
Three months free · Limited to 30 participants · One redemption per account · No automatic renewal

The Johnel Bryant Robinson Foundation & St. Charles Tutoring Lab


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