Aug. 22, 2019 – Queens, NEW YORK
By NYC Kids RISE
Silmady Sanchez, Community Schools Coordinator at P.S. 149, organized an event to inform families about the Save for College Program and to help activate participating students’ NYC Scholarship Accounts. The event included a craft area and giveaways for the children of the families such as Haribo Gummy Bears for first-graders and a cupcake bank for kindergartners. To ensure as many families as possible could take advantage of this event, Silmady called parents the day of the event to remind them to attend. Three parents activated and viewed their child’s NYC Scholarship Account and also left with prizes. Following the event, Silmady followed up with families who did not attend and scheduled 1:1 appointments to complete the steps. She also decided to extend her efforts to reach P.S. 149 families into the summer. We reached out to Silmady and asked her a few questions about the event:
Why was it important to create this event for Queens Community House families?
These events are important because it gives families the chance for growth and opportunities. Letting parents know that there is a chance to set money aside for their children is absolutely essential.
What are key things to consider when creating these events?
Resources are key in creating events like these as well as informative presentations. It seems that incentives and activities for the students themselves bring parents to participate in these events.
What were families excited about?
In addition to having their child’s scholarship funds, the families were excited to begin this new journey for their children and were interested in opening their own college savings account, on their own time, when they are ready.
As Queens Community House continue to move forward with their Save for College Program efforts and strengthen their collaboration with NYC Kids RISE, we look forward to seeing the impact they will be making.
Thanks to the support of Citi Community Development, Queens Community House is part of a learning community of organizations across School District 30 using the Save for College Program as a tool to support families.