<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Going straight from high school to college isn&amp;#039;t right for everyone. If you&amp;#039;re worried, for example, that your teen is going to slack (or party) her way through freshman year, she might be better off working or volunteering. What&amp;#039;s more, during that time, your kid can earn money-and avoid wasting yours.  But be careful: If your child builds up a big nest egg, it could hurt his chances for need-based financial aid the following year. The first $3,000 of student earnings after taxes is safe. But over that limit, schools will reduce government assistance. The rules aren&amp;#039;t as strict, however, for nongovernmental grants. College financial aid officers may have the power to turn a blind eye to gap-year earnings when calculating your package (one more good reason to make friends with your school&amp;#039;s financial aid director). Temp agency work is a great way for your child to earn money during her year off. It doesn&amp;#039;t require a college degree, exposes students to a variety of workplaces, and the hours are flexible. That way, your kid can also rack up some college credits by taking College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, administered by the College Board. Just $60 a pop, most are 90-minute multiple-choice exams covering subjects taught in the first two years of college. Some 2,900 colleges grant credit for the tests. But here&amp;#039;s a word of warning: If you get a certain number of credits (say, one semester&amp;#039;s worth), you may need to apply to school as a transfer student. Several programs, including City Year (Cityyear.org) and AmeriCorps (Americorps.gov), have one-year service gigs that are a good fit for a gap year. Many of them come with college scholarships attached. Participants in both City Year and AmeriCorps get paid a small stipend to do community service jobs, plus a $4,725 educational award. Gigs vary from building houses with Habitat for Humanity to tutoring inner-city schoolchildren. More than 70 colleges will match or sweeten the award, and some will exempt all or part of AmeriCorps&amp;#039;s money when determining financial need. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/tips/a17208/year-off-college/?src=shelter_footer>