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• By Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed. • IDRA Newsletter • August 2026 •

Grandparents raising grandchildren say schools need to start college and career preparation earlier, provide families with clear and practical information, and help every student understand the real costs, choices and possibilities ahead.

IDRA has been asking students, families and community members a single question: What can schools do to help more students access college?

The answers are critical to several initiatives designed to build stronger pathways to college, particularly for underserved students. For example, IDRA’s Education CAFEs for College Access project is part of the Future Ready Bexar County initiative to increase the number of students who go to college. With support from the San Antonio Area Foundation, IDRA is engaging with families who are identifying college-going barriers to influence systemic change. Effective solutions depend on student and family insights.

The overall message was clear: families, including grandparents, need early, honest and ongoing guidance that connects college and career opportunities to real life, real costs and real possibilities.

In my recent keynote at the Texas Grandparents Raising Grandchildren annual conference, I asked participants to share their experiences in helping to prepare their grandchildren for college and careers. I also distributed a survey with questions about what families need to know and what advice they would give to schools and colleges.

The key takeaway was that families, including grandparents, are deeply involved in raising children and making important decisions. Still, they are trying to navigate systems that were never designed with them in mind. The respondents consistently emphasized the need for early, clear and more practical information.

Often, they said college prep messages do not begin until students’ junior or senior year of high school when students suddenly encounter FAFSA, admissions requirements and financial aid forms. Many grandparents said they were confused by the process, had difficulty finding help, and heard from their grandchildren that counselors simply did not have enough time to provide one-on-one guidance. This last point was a key finding in IDRA’s previous study, in which counselors reported their own frustrations about not having time and resources to counsel students on college and career (Bojorquez, 2023).

The need for schools to act early and provide focused support for students has become even more urgent after the recent passage of new state laws banning college diversity, equity and inclusion activities. IDRA’s study found that the laws are having a harsh impact on high school students’ access to college (Latham Sikes, 2026).

Many grandparents said they had never attended college themselves and that their grandchildren would be the first in the family to go. They wanted guidance not only for the students but for themselves so they could better understand the college system. They repeatedly asked for step-by-step guidance on admissions, applications, qualifications and financial aid.

A major concern among the grandparents was the cost of college. They wanted information much earlier about financial aid, scholarships and what college actually costs.  Families worried about tuition, living expenses, transportation and student debt. They wanted to know how families qualify for assistance, how to avoid misinformation and whether college is realistically affordable for them.

Everyone at the conference believed that earning a college degree creates better opportunities and a stronger future. But they wanted details. Can my grandchild really do this?

Many also wanted much more information about careers themselves. One grandparent said: “I’ve heard there are hundreds of jobs in health care. I know doctor and nurse, but what are the others?”

Other participants asked about careers in technology, what students should study and what high school courses they should take to qualify for those fields.

Some grandparents asked about technical employment options so students could enter the workforce sooner. They needed information on how long-term economic security generally increases with higher levels of education. Students should be able to understand all their options and make informed decisions, rather than being directed to a false either/or path of college vs. technical jobs.

The strongest recommendation was for schools, communities and families to begin the college preparation process much earlier. Grandparents repeatedly said that middle school is not too early. It may already be late. Students should begin thinking about college and their interests while they are still in elementary and middle school. They suggested that subjects like algebra become much more meaningful when students understand how they connect to future careers.

They also asked for more information for students with disabilities and examples of successful people working in different professions. Other barriers they raised included transportation, housing, child care, family responsibilities, limited career awareness and uncertainty about whether students were academically prepared.

In addition, grandparents worried about students’ confidence. Some grandchildren had absorbed outside pressures leading them to believe they do not belong in college. As one grandmother told us, “My grandchild says college is not for people like me.”

The overall message was clear: families, including grandparents, need early, honest and ongoing guidance that connects college and career opportunities to real life, real costs and real possibilities.

The grandparents’ recommendations were practical and consistent.

• Start early and stay consistent. Introduce college and career exploration in elementary and middle school, not just during the final years of high school.
• Provide clear, practical information. Avoid educational jargon. Help families understand admissions, financial aid, scholarships and career pathways in language they can use.
• Give students and families opportunities to experience college firsthand through campus visits, guest speakers, career exploration and hands-on experiences.
• Strengthen counseling and mentoring. Grandparents wanted every student to have an adult at school who knows them personally and can help guide them through important decisions.
• Teach life and career skills, not just prepare students for tests. Students need help understanding careers, planning their futures and making informed choices.
• Support every student equitably, including first-generation college students, students with disabilities and children growing up in many different family structures. Grandparents reminded us that families today look very different from one another, and schools must understand and respect those differences.

What I learned from these grandparents, both through the written surveys and through our conversations, is that when families are informed, supported and included, they become powerful partners in preparing students for college, careers and life.

Their appeal echoes what IDRA has found in other studies on new and ongoing challenges for students in their college journeys. Drawn from focus groups and roundtable conversations with students, families and school counselors, IDRA recently developed community-based resources in IDRA’s new Community-Based College Access Toolkit to help students, educators and families access clear, early college information. The tools are available in English and Spanish online at https://idra.news/CollegeAccessToolkit.

Families are not asking for a more complicated system. They want one that is clear, consistent, connected, and built on care and compassion. The message these committed grandparents and others gave us was remarkably clear: Start earlier. Keep it real. Stay connected. Guide every student.

Resources

Bojorquez, H. (2023). School Counselors on College Advising Constraints – A Ready Texas Study. IDRA.

IDRA. (2026). Community-Based College Access – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit.

Latham Sikes, C. (July 2026). Staying on Course When Schools Steer Clear: A Community-Based Study on the Impacts of Texas’ Diversity Policy Change on High School Students and Tools to Expand their College Pathways. IDRA.

Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., is IDRA’s family engagement coordinator and directs IDRA Education CAFE work (aurelio.montemayor@idra.org).

Community-based College Access – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit

Informed by focus groups and roundtable conversations with students, families and school counselors, our new bilingual toolkits provide practical tools schools can use now to help students transition to college.

See the Toolkits at https://idra.news/CollegeAccessToolkit

FAQs

When should schools help students start preparing for college?
College and career preparation should begin well before a student’s junior or senior year of high school. Families participating in IDRA’s research recommended introducing college and career exploration during elementary and middle school so students have time to understand their options and prepare academically.

What information do families need to help students prepare for college?
Families need clear, step-by-step information about college admissions, applications, academic requirements, financial aid, scholarships and college costs. They also need information about careers and the education and high school courses students may need to pursue them.

How can schools help first-generation college students and their families?
Schools can provide early and ongoing college guidance to both students and their families. This is especially important when parents or grandparents have not attended college themselves and are navigating admissions, financial aid and other college systems for the first time.

How can schools connect college preparation with career exploration?
Schools can help students explore a wide range of careers, understand the education those careers require and see how subjects they study now connect with future opportunities. Campus visits, career exploration, guest speakers and hands-on experiences can make those connections more concrete.

What role do families play in college access?
Families, including grandparents and other caregivers, help students make important decisions about college and careers. When schools give families useful information, include them in planning and recognize different family structures, families can be strong partners in preparing students for life after high school.

[© 2026, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the August 2026 edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]