together we can make a

difference.

Making college dreams come true.
Become a Partner
Education makes life better.
We partner with colleges and universities, high schools, and foster care agencies by providing academic planning support for youth, improve caseworker and counselor capacity through the use of technology, and build knowledge through curated professional development opportunities for staff and administrators.
Our current partners

partner benefits

The TasselTurn Platform enables our partners to identify, engage, and support students and youth on their post-secondary pathway.
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Post-Secondary Partners

TasselTurn partners with post-secondary programs, including: vocational programs and two and four year colleges, serving students from low-income families and students the first in their family to attend college. Post-secondary programs can learn more and apply to be a TasselTurn Post-Secondary Partner below.

Post-Secondary Partner Benefits

  • Program and institution specific features on the TasselTurn Platform, including the ability to connect with prospective students directly on the platform, engage with students’ caring adult network, unique profiles, and recruitment events. 
  • Connect college success and alumni to prospective students for opportunities to engage and market your institution.
  • Inclusion in TasselTurn national media coverage and publications.
  • Opportunity for current college students to earn income by serving as an Educational Coach on the TasselTurn Platform.
  • Professional Development for admissions officers and college success team hosted by TasselTurn.

High School and School District Partners

TasselTurn partners with high schools and school districts to increase capacity of school counselors and liaisons, by serving as an additional resource to provide students receiving McKinney-Vento services and special education services with post-secondary resources. We work with counselors and liaisons to identify eligible students in need of TasselTurn. Students receive personalized educational coaching from a current college student, or recent college graduate, virtual academic tutoring, direct connections to college admissions counselors, and a unique post-secondary planning curriculum rooted in social emotional learning frameworks and delivered as bite-sized virtual courses.  

High School & School District
Partner Benefits:

  • Every eligible student receives free account on TasselTurn Platform.
  • Increased capacity of school counselors and liaisons so they can serve more students.
  • Improved graduation rates for a unique and student population experiencing consistent instability.
  • Student performance data reports to inform school and district policy and interventions.
  • Professional development for teachers and administrators.
  • Inclusion in TasselTurn national media coverage and publications.
  • TasselTurn recognition badges.
  • Creation of Parent Engagement strategy to engage foster parents and caring adult networks for youth experiencing foster care.

Government Departments
and Foster Care Providers

Government Department & Foster Care Providers Benefits:

  • Every eligible youth receives account on TasselTurn Platform.
  • Increased capacity of caseworkers and staff so they can provide more attention to other children in their caseload.
  • Improved foster care outcomes for youth in foster care.
  • Performance data reports to inform interventions and populate required court reports.
  • Professional development for caseworkers and staff.
  • Inclusion in TasselTurn national media coverage and publications.
  • TasselTurn recognition badges.
TasselTurn partners with local and state government foster care departments and individual foster care agencies and nonprofits. TasselTurn works with partners to serve every youth, aged 13 - 18 with post-secondary planning support. We work with case managers and directors to ensure every young person receives: personalized educational coaching from a current college student or recent college graduate, virtual academic tutoring, and a unique post-secondary planning curriculum rooted in social emotional learning frameworks and delivered as bite-sized virtual courses.  

There is a huge problem.
Let's flip the script.

3% of foster youth graduate college

In the U.S. 26,000 youth transition from foster care annually without a post-secondary plan to begin their future and create a healthy life.

School counselor and social worker burnout

making them unable provide personalized support to foster-involved youth. The average school counselor ratio is 225:1; and social workers carry an average caseload of 35 cases.

50% foster youth earn less than $10,000 year

and 80% become incarcerated, homeless, and unemployed within two years of transitioning from foster care without a high school diploma.

Under recruited in college admissions

Many students in foster care attend non-traditional schools and often reside in non-traditional living environments, like group homes and residential facilities. This makes it difficult for students in care to connect with college counselors and learn about collegiate opportunities. 

Over reliance on child protective services

The institution of foster care is to keep children physically safe. Foster care is not designed to educate children. 
Request Information

GET in touch to discuss partnership opportunities

Thank you for your time and interest in partnering with TasselTurn. Our vision is all students have access to opportunities and information that will allow them to reach their post-secondary educational aspirations. 

Our mission is to promote the resilience of youth pioneers experiencing instability and provide them community, coaching, and connections that lead to increased post-secondary pathways.

We believe that with partnerships with institutions like yours, we will be able to improve post-secondary pathways for youth in foster care and fulfill our mission. Thank you for your application.

We look forward to being in touch with you. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact us at administrator@tasselturn.org, subject line 'Desire to Partner.’
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What our youth and partners are saying

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

"I wasn't always sure if I would attend college. I met my coach junior year and she immediately began helping me realize my potential. We rewrote my personal statement like three times! The opportunity to talk with people from college was motivating; it made me feel like they wanted me there." 
Heather Robinson
TasselTurn Youth Pioneer
2019 Graduate of Columbia College Chicago
"TasselTurn allows you to get to know students much earlier in the recruitment process—ninth grade—unlike traditional timelines, this allows you to establish a connection and grow with the student. Eventually, when we receive their application, they are no stranger to us. Data from this platform informs services we provide in our Center for Student Success and Retention and other on-campus programming."
John Hodgkins
Dean of University Library & The Center for Student Success and Retention, Washburn University