At UTSA, we regard student families as proud members of the Roadrunner community. As part of our community, we offer programs and services like the Family Engagement Program, Monthly Family Newsletter and the Center for Military Families to help parents stay informed and connected.
Research shows that family engagement plays a critical part in a student’s academic success and when students have school, parental and community support, higher education is seen as the norm. Higher education becomes the expectation rather than the exception. The Family Engagement program at The University of Texas San Antonio is honored to support our community and its journey to reach 60X30TX by 2030.
Family Engagement Program
About Family Engagement Program
The Family Engagement Program at UTSA offers sessions on Promoting a College-Going Culture, A Basic College Overview, Financial Aid and Scholarship Basics, The Transition from High School to College + Letting Go and more. Descriptions of offered workshops are in each tab. You can also download a pdf copy of our Engagement Workshops for high school families, middle school families, and elementary school families. To request a college admissions presentation for you high school or community college, please reach out to your UTSA Freshmen recruiter or Transfer Specialist.
Parent presentations are scheduled Monday – Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Please submit presentation requests to CommunityOutreach@utsa.edu.
Workshops for High School Families
College 101: An Overview
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: National research has indicated parent involvement as a strong predictor of student success. Empowering parents to action through knowledge will further enable parents to have a positive impact on their child’s future. College awareness discussions can help families overcome the fear of the unknown. This session gives an overview of basic college information such as why higher education is beneficial, what are the different types of college degrees and different types of higher education institutions. How can a family afford to pay for college and what does it take to get a college scholarship? These questions and others will be addressed and discussed at this session so that gain s gain an understanding of the fact that “College completion is possible”.
College 101: Financial Aid/Scholarships
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: The transition from high school to college can be a challenging one, especially if a family is unfamiliar with the college access and awareness information. Parents can help their students ease their transition by learning more about how to pay for college through financial aid and scholarships. What are the financial aid deadlines? Should everyone apply for financial aid? These questions will be addressed and discussed at this session so that parents gain an understanding of the fact that “College completion is possible.”
College 101: Building Your Portfolio
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: The transition from high school to college can be a challenging one, especially if a family is unfamiliar with college access and awareness information. Parents can help their students ease their transition by learning more about what college is like. Learn how your student can begin to build a portfolio that will make applying for college and scholarships easier. The earlier they begin the process in their high school career, the better their portfolio can be. What do scholarship committees look for when awarding scholarships? These questions will be addressed and discussed during this session.
College 101: Transition from High School to College-Letting Go
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: The The transition from high school to college can be a challenging one, especially if a family is unfamiliar with college access and awareness information. Parents can help their students ease their transition by learning more about what college is like. Learn how you can help your student prepare for the transition and how you can be better prepared. What can you expect during their senior year in high school or their freshman year in college? These questions will be addressed and discussed during this session.
Workshops for Middle School Families
College 101: Promoting a College-Going Culture
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: National research has indicated parent involvement as a strong predictor of student success. Empowering parents to action through knowledge will further enable parents to have a positive impact on their child’s future. What can you do to help promote a college going culture for your children in elementary, middle and high school that will encourage them to reach higher? What do other families do to encourage this? Discuss this topic to learn some practical ideas and share your own ideas.
College 101: An Overview
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: National research has indicated parent involvement as a strong predictor of student success. Empowering parents to action through knowledge will further enable parents to have a positive impact on their child’s future. College awareness discussions can help families overcome the fear of the unknown. This session gives an overview of basic college information such as why higher education is beneficial, what are the different types of college degrees and different types of higher education institutions. How can a family afford to pay for college and what does it take to get a college scholarship? These questions and others will be addressed and discussed at this session so that gain s gain an understanding of the fact that “College completion is possible.”
College 101: Building Your Portfolio
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: The transition from high school to college can be a challenging one, especially if a family is unfamiliar with college access and awareness information. Parents can help their students ease their transition by learning more about what college is like. Learn how your student can begin to build a portfolio that will make applying for college and scholarships easier. The earlier they begin the process in their high school career, the better their portfolio can be. What do scholarship committees look for when awarding scholarships? These questions will be addressed and discussed during this session.
Workshops for Elementary School Families
College 101: Promoting a College-Going Culture
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: National research has indicated parent involvement as a strong predictor of student success. Empowering parents to action through knowledge will further enable parents to have a positive impact on their child’s future. What can you do to help promote a college going culture for your children in elementary, middle and high school that will encourage them to reach higher? What do other families do to encourage this? Discuss this topic to learn some practical ideas and share your own ideas.
Engaged Families: Home Math and Literacy Practices
This session will require 1 hour
Objective: National research has indicated parent involvement as a strong predictor of student success. Empowering parents to action through knowledge will further enable parents to have a positive impact on their child’s future. Parents are a child’s very first teachers and your home is your child’s first classroom. What can you do at home to support your child’s success in literature and mathematics? How can you encourage learning at home while making it fun? What do other families do to encourage this? These questions and others will be addressed and discussed in this session.
Center for Military Families
About the Center
The vision of the Center is to enhance the daily experiences of military families through a holistic engagement of resources, support, and connection.
The Center for Military Families serves the military community by offering military –connected programs, collaborating with existing organizations and contributing to research and theory that better aims to understand the challenging circumstances in the lives of military families. Our Goal is to make a positive difference in Education, Health, and the overall Well-being of Military Families in San Antonio.
Partnerships
We appreciate our partners and welcome synergy. For more details on how to collaborate with the Center for Military Families, please reach out to communityoutreach@utsa.edu .
Support the Center
As part of our mission to the community at large, we are particularly proud of this center, dedicated to the well-being of military-connected families. If you would like to contribute to our efforts please consider donating online. Donation by check is also available. Make the check payable to “Center for Military Families” and mail to the following address:
Center for Military Families
501 W. Cesar E Chavez Blvd.
San Antonio, TX 78207
Your charitable contribution is tax-deductible. Please be advised that The University of Texas at San Antonio, as a State Agency in the State of Texas, does not have designation as a 501(c)(3) organization. Instead, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled the University qualifies as a tax-exempt institution under Section 170 of the IRS Code.
Monthly Family Newsletter
UTSA offers a Monthly Family Newsletter that contains helpful, resources to prepare grade school students and their families. These issues contain information about upcoming family engagement events, financial aid sessions, scholarship opportunities, preparing for higher education and more. Please see all our past family newsletters below. If you’d like to sign up to receive these by email every month, please sign up here.
UTSA ofrece un Boletín Familiar Mensual que contiene recursos útiles para preparar a los estudiantes de grado y a sus familias. Estos números contienen información sobre los próximos eventos de participación familiar, sesiones de ayuda financiera, oportunidades de becas, preparación para la educación superior y más.