New educational app helps elementary school kids think about college

Program funded by grant from Santikos Charitable Foundation

SAN ANTONIO – A new digital tool was launched Tuesday at Somerset Independent School District to help students start thinking about college at a younger age.

The app called “yes our kids can” is meant to help teachers set expectations for college using fun and engaging songs, videos and games. Students learn about different universities, their mascots and their locations.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Saul Hinojosa said he hopes this program will allow students to see that college can be a reality.

"They (students) love it. Just seeing them interact and be involved with the program and learning about college is a great thing and we're going to involve the parents as well so this is going to be a total team effort, the schools, the parent and the community again in order to make college a viable option for students" Hinojosa said.

The release of the app comes after a new study by the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board showed that only 19 percent of eight graders in 2001 graduated from college or obtained a certification within six years of graduation from high school.

Hinojosa said he is hopeful that the new app will change that statistic.

The app was funded by a grant from the Santikos Charitable Foundation.