09/17/2026
Start with the end in mind….so they take the right classes, the credits build towards their degree, AND they transfer to your child’s University of choice for their Bachelor’s Degree. EARLY COLLEGE, STRATEGICALLY: How to be intentional about Start Earning College Credit While Still in High School (or before).
After sharing that my 13-year-old just picked up his college ID…and that several of my older kids have earned associate degrees before graduating high school…I got SO many questions about exactly how we do this.
So I’m breaking it ALL down in this series.
Not because every child should start college early. They shouldn’t. Not because a college degree is the only path to success. It isn’t.
But IF college is part of your child’s future, I want parents to know what options may be available…and how to use them strategically.
Here’s what we’re talking about:
1. How high-school students can take real college classes
2. How to find concurrent/dual-enrollment programs where you live
3. What college classes can cost while your child is still in high school
4. How to know if your child is actually ready for college-level work
5. Why we often choose concurrent enrollment instead of AP
6. How we choose classes AND professors
7. How to make sure credits will actually transfer
8. Why we build toward a degree instead of collecting random credits
9. CLEP exams, Modern States, (I am just learning about this option myself) AP and other ways to earn college credit
10. Options for homeschool, public-school and private-school students
11. What international families and Americans living abroad can investigate
12. What parents need to understand about a REAL college transcript
13. How the associate degree works…and what happens afterward
14. How I would build a college-credit plan if I were starting over today
And more. Follow along and save this series so you can come back to it.
Leave your questions below.
⚠️ state, university, transfer, residency, eligibility, policies, and how it may affect future scholarship opportunities etc may vary state to state and college to college. I’m sharing what we’ve learned from our family’s experience and teaching you what to research…not promising that every program or strategy will work for every student.