What We Do
Research shows that if you come from a low-income family, or your parents do not have 4-year college degrees, you are unlikely to go to college yourself. The California Student Opportunity and Access Program (CalSOAP) was created to remediate this trend. Funded by the State Legiuslature in 1978 and administered by the California Student Aid Commission, CalSOAP has a long history of helping students get a college education.

College Knowledge, a program of the Northcoast CalSOAP Consortium, helps students—who might not otherwise go to college—pursue a higher education. We help make college a reality for these young people by providing them with college mentors who tutor and support them, and offer the skills and practical knowledge they need to enter college.

For over 20 years throughout California, CalSOAP Consortia have consistently guided 75% of their students on to institutions of higher education. In 1996, College of the Redwoods formed the Northcoast CalSOAP Consortium to increase the number of our local high school students that continue on to college or technical degrees. Over 70% of the high school seniors involved in our College Knowledge program go on to attend college.

How We Work with Partners
As a consortium, CalSOAP relies on numerous partners from the private, public, educational, and non-profit sectors to help us carry out our goals. These mutually beneficial relationships help our partners extend their services while granting them wide exposure through our program.

We help colleges by increasing enrollment. With over 70% of the teens we serve going on to college, this translates into a distinct benefit to the post-secondary institutions that work with us. We’re able to educate our students about our partner schools and give them access to our partners’ admission materials. In addition, the annual CalSOAP Career and College Fair further extends local students’ awareness of our partner colleges.

We also work with our partner colleges to recruit tutors to administer our program. Each college tutor who works with us benefits from over 20 hours of training as a pre-college advisor/academic tutor, as well as gaining invaluable hands-on teaching experience.

We help educational entities like high schools, elementary schools, and non-profit agencies by providing services that benefit the children enrolled in their schools or programs. Our trained college tutors are available to their students on a regular basis to provide assistance with a wide range of topics and coursework. These College Knowledge tutors extend the existing staff at the schools we serve, adding a layer of support and assistance.

We help businesses by providing a trained and educated workforce in the communities we serve. This translates into a healthier economy and a brighter future for the entire business community.

We help all of our partners by providing wide exposure in the media and throughout the community. We list our partners on our marketing materials, our website, and our letterhead, and honor them at an annual luncheon. Over 4,000 students and families on the North Coast receive information from CalSOAP.

How You Can Help Us
By donating your time, financial assistance, or in-kind support, you can help thousands of children in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Del Norte Counties explore a world of possibilities they might not otherwise discover. Call us today and find out how you can participate in a better future for yourself, your business, and the children in your community.

Get in Touch Today
We welcome the opportunity to work with you. Please call Marcy Manning, Consortium Director, at (707) 476-4275 to discuss Consortium membership, contributions and services, or send an email to marcy-manning@redwoods.edu.

Some of Our Partners Include:

AVID Region 1

Cox Rasmussen & Company

College of the Redwoods

Del Norte High School

Eureka City Schools

Ferndale Elementary School

Fort Bragg High School

Fort Bragg Middle School

Fortuna High School

Hoopa Valley High School

Humboldt Area Foundation

Humboldt State University

Loleta Union School District

Mattole Triple Junction High School

University of California, Davis

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