For Parents and Adult Supporters

The Colorado Educational Services and Development Association (CESDA) wants to assist your son/daughter/student achieve the success in life that comes to those who continue their education beyond high school. Students who prepare themselves beginning in middle school and continue their preparation through high school tend to have more success in higher education. Having worked with students for 30 years, CESDA knows that students may need help developing their full range of talents, exploring their interests, building their self-esteem and overcoming the challenges of being a young adult. CESDA works to help students achieve early success for college entrance by supporting the guidance and counseling programs at the elementary, middle and junior/senior high levels. These programs, along with family support, create the groundwork which enables students to progress and keep open their college or university options. Through pre-college programs, students are given specific information about college admissions and financial aid. Our organization knows that this information needs to be shared with students and their parents as early as possible. College preparation may begin as early as elementary school and may end with the parents completing the financial aid information during the senior year.

This website is a guide to assist you and your student in the early stages of the college and financial aid process. Use the listed CESDA contacts as advocates for your student's education, both high school and college. Remember, you can never start the college planning process too early. Also keep in mind that the CESDA contacts are not just for high school students. If you would like to continue your own education, they are there to assist you as well. Finally, CESDA does not imply that all students should go to college, but that all students deserve to be guided and educated toward that goal. All students are entitled to have every possible benefit that a college education affords. As an organization dedicated to education, we know teachers and administrators from every level of education must take strong actions that support the futures of the students they educate. This is the mission of CESDA.

We offer you advice on what higher education is, why it's important, when and how to prepare for it academically, how to finance it, and who you can contact throughout Colorado to obtain additional information.

Very few students realize what careers they will choose during their adult lives. However, career planning should begin with:

  • High school career programs
  • Career mini-courses
  • Career counseling sessions
  • Interest inventory testing
  • Matching personality with job types
  • Mentor programs
CESDA•Colorado Educational Services & Development Association•P.O. Box 40214
Denver, CO 80204•Contact email address: