April 2026 IllinoisCAN Newsletter



Illinois College Access Network


Illinois College Access Network Newsletter

April 2026


Welcome to IllinoisCAN's monthly newsletter.

The mission of IllinoisCAN is to improve postsecondary access and success for low-income and first-generation college students in Illinois. IllinoisCAN builds the capacity and effectiveness of college access organizations to help students reach their goals. IllinoisCAN monthly newsletters are intended to be for us and by us – professionals around the state working to improve college access.

In this issue:
School Street Food Pantry Volunteers Combat Student Food Insecurity

"Normal's School Street Food Pantry serves students experiencing food insecurity, run by volunteers for the past eight years, working to curb hunger."

Opportunities for Students and Parents on One Click College Admit (OCCA)

Be sure your high school juniors and seniors know they can now participate in the state's new direct college admissions program: quick, stress-free direct admissions into all community colleges and most state public universities. Through this program, all eligible high school seniors automatically receive offers of general admission to their local community college and participating Illinois public universities based solely on their GPA. The program also removes the requirements for application fees, essays, and letters of recommendation. Visit the One Click College Admit website to access program details and promotional materials.
  • Check out OCCA virtual workshops for students and parents!

    ISAC is hosting OCCA virtual workshops to help high school juniors sign up for One Click College Admit. Please let your students and parents know that they can register for the OCCA virtual workshops at https://www.isac.org/OCCA-workshops. The dates and times are listed below.
    • Tuesday, April 21, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
    • Thursday, April 23, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
    • Wednesday, April 29, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
  • OCCA Workshops for Professionals

    ISAC offers free Professional Development trainings for counselors, school staff, and other stakeholders who would like an overview of One Click College Admit (OCCA) including important timelines, frequently asked questions, and how to support students to sign up for the program. View upcoming OCCA sessions below and register through the ISAC Professional Development Offerings page.
    • Friday, May 1, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
    • Monday, May 18, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
  • OCCA Resources for Professionals
    • Students and parents can schedule a free one-on-one virtual meeting with an ISACorps™ member for questions or help signing up for One Click College Admit (OCCA).
    • ISAC has free OCCA resource materials available for counselors to order to support their students. Counselors can also download and print the OCCA Counselor Toolkit that includes a presentation deck, walkthrough videos of the online opt-in process, informational flyers, and more.
Family Action Network (FAN) Events

ISAC co-sponsors Family Action Network (FAN) events, which are always free and open to the public. FAN curates a high-quality speaker series on a variety of topics relevant to our work.
Born to Flourish

*ISAC recently co-sponsored the FAN webinar, "Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Thriving," with Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D. and Cortland Dahl, Ph.D., moderated by ISAC's Chief Service Officer Jacqueline Moreno. Watch a recording of the discussion on the FAN website.

PaCE Curriculum Training

Join ISAC for our Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) Curriculum training Tuesday, April 21 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at Parkland College in Champaign, IL. This training will highlight ISAC's Illinois PaCE Curriculum for grades 6–8. Attendees will review the curriculum structure and participate in activities that will help them in implementing their PaCE Framework.

The training is free to attend! Registration will close on Sunday, April 19, 2026, or when full capacity is reached. For questions, contact isac.outreachtraining@illinois.gov.

IACAC's 12th Annual Sharing the Dream Conference

The 12th annual Sharing the Dream (STDC) Conference, hosted by the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), is taking place on Thursday, May 28 at Governors State University.

For more than a decade, STDC has served as Illinois' statewide conference dedicated to supporting undocumented students and families in their pursuit of higher education. The conference convenes educators, counselors, administrators, and advocates who are committed to strengthening systems of support and expanding college access.

Your work matters. If you are leading initiatives, programs, or research that supports undocumented students and are interested in sharing your expertise, consider submitting a workshop proposal. Visit IACAC's website to submit a proposal or register for the conference.

Questions? Contact: sharingthedream@iacac.org.

NCAN Spring Institute 2026: AI in College Access

The annual Spring Institute returns for another year of programming! Join the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) for this year's Spring Institute and earn your AI in College Access Certificate. Join this four-part series to build coherence, confidence, and shared language around generative AI use for your work.

Chicago Students Took More Than 13,000 Dual Credit Classes Last Year. Is it Helping Them Get Ahead?

"Dual credit has risen sharply nationwide, with high school students now making up a fifth of community college students overall. Research has shown these classes improve the odds of going to and staying in college – especially for students of color and low-income students, who remain underrepresented in dual credit nationally."

Get Involved

Do you have events, news, requests, or resources to share with college access colleagues? Submit content by Friday, April 24th to ISAC.IllinoisCAN@illinois.gov.

Newsletter Submission Guidelines:

https://illinoiscan.org/resources/Newsletters/index.html

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