What can parents do to help their HS senior be ready for college?

Open a checking account, a savings account, and get a debit card. Figure out a monthly budget that includes lunches or whatever else parents usually pay for (gas money?, etc.) and include extra to set aside for fun (Starbucks or movies) and 10% for savings. Your student must "live within" the budget and you cannot be putting extra money into the account before the end of the month. If they have a job, that money should be set aside to help pay for college books and supplies.

Write out laundry instructions for them and have them do their own laundry each week

Teach them how to sweep and vacuum

Teach them how to make a shopping list and how to stick to it. (Dorm rooms are small and there's not a lot of space to keep fresh foods or refrigerated foods)

Teach them how to cook simple meals (healthy microwavable food)

Help them start looking for a college (within a certain $$ budget)

Have them think about who will write letters of recommendations

Have them look into obtaining scholarship $

Start to give them more freedom and allow them to set their own schedules of homework, family obligations, jobs, fun, etc.

Good luck! and remember, you're not raising a child anymore, you are growing an adult!

The best thing to do is to begin giving your child responsibilities now. Being a HS senior this year, most of what you've stated should've been implicated into their daily routine beginning in 10th grade.

For starters, you may want to give the child a weekly chore of preparing a well balanced dinner. And have the child begin to do thier own laundry. Set up a bank account, if one has not already been done. Teach the child how to manage their money. (This may be hard, depending on how responsible the child is)