Parents of Younger Children Should 'Get Ready for College' During January's Financial Aid Month

Nellie Mae Provides Free Guides for Families with Young Children and High School Students

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BOSTON, Jan. 13, 1997 --January is Financial Aid Month, and high school seniors and their parents are scrambling to complete college financial aid application forms. But many parents disregard Financial Aid Month simply because their children are younger. They shouldn't. Whether children are enrolled in elementary school or just preparing for kindergarten, it's never too early to begin planning and saving for college. To address this growing population of future college students, and to alleviate an unnecessary burden on their parents, Nellie Mae, the nation's largest nonprofit student loan provider, has just published "Get Ready for College!" -- a college planning guide for parents of young children. The new publication is available free to families by calling Nellie Mae at l-800-9-TUITION.

"Get Ready" offers tips ranging from choosing proper investment vehicles and prepaid tuition programs to scheduling courses that will prepare students academically. For example, the guide reveals how to invest college savings in growth stock and higher risk vehicles early-on, and then transfer to more conservative savings vehicles as children move into high school. It also suggests that when auto or personal loans are paid off, those payments should continue to be made -- into a college fund instead.

"Nellie Mae's mission is to increase access to higher education and teach families how to pay for college," said Nellie Mae President Lawrence O'Toole. "'Get Ready For College' will help parents and students learn that it's never too early to start planning for the future."

Nellie Mae also publishes "Steps To Success," a free booklet that helps families of high school juniors and seniors take a team approach to preparing for college, highlighting the obligations of both students and parents. It includes a checklist of responsibilities, important deadlines, and tips on choosing a college and obtaining financial aid. It is also available by calling 1-800-9-TUITION or visiting Nellie Mae's web site at www.nelliemae.org.

Nellie Mae, located in Braintree, Mass., is the largest nonprofit provider of federal and private education loan funds in the country, with combined assets of more than $2 billion. Nellie Mae's commitment to improving access to education through the provision of higher education financing has helped more than one million students and parents across the country find affordable ways to pay for college.

The Corporation also operates the Nellie Mae Fund for Education, a philanthropic fund supporting school/college partnerships and early awareness/intervention programs for disadvantaged students in New England. Since its inception in 1990, the NMFE has awarded almost $4 million in grant assistance.

CONTACT: Peter Ventimiglia of The Castle Group, 617-854-6574