College seems like a lifetime away to six-year-olds, but a class of 60 first-graders from Franklin Elementary School in Altadena, Calif., learned Tuesday that they are college-bound, thanks to the I Have A Dream Foundation.

The gift, valued at more than $2 million, to the youngest children ever adopted by the organization includes tutoring and counseling support through high school as well as college scholarships, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Most of Franklin's students come from low-income families, says the school's principal, Caroline Bermudez-Marin.

Although the impact of the gift escaped most of the first-grade recipients, the 150 parents and school staff at the ceremony were well-aware of its significance.

"It's really going to make an impact, not just on these students but the rest of the students," says Bermudez-Marin. "It frees up staff and resources for the other grade levels."

Since its founding in 1981, I Have a Dream has adopted some 12,000 children nationwide and more than 700 in the Los Angeles area. Franklin's program is funded by the H.N. & Frances C. Berger Foundation of Palm Desert, Calif.

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