College Reach-out Program (CROP)

State of Florida

The College Reach-Out Program (CROP) is a statewide initiative created in 1983 by the Florida Legislature under Section 1007.34, of the Florida Statutes with the intent of increasing the number of students successfully completing postsecondary education. The primary objective of the CROP is to recruit low-income, educationally disadvantaged students in grades 6-12 and concentrate efforts on motivating and preparing them to attend college and complete college. Without intervention, these students would be unlikely to seek admission to a postsecondary institution. No other state administers a program that targets this particular population.

The CROP repeatedly demonstrates a positive return on the state’s investment. In accordance with the Florida Department of Education’s mission, provision of quality services results in high student achievement. The philosophy of the CROP initiative involves providing a mixture of academic and psychosocial support to generate greater levels of Completion for participants (i.e., in comparison to non-participants taken from a random sample).

Polk State College

Polk State’s College Reach-Out Program meets September through June on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeland Campus.