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It's NYC Scholarship Month! Welcoming New Kindergarten Students, Virtual Town Hall This Thursday, + More

NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program we are saving for college and career training together
Dear Save for College Program Parents and Guardians,
We hope this email finds you and your loved ones hanging in there.
We had reason to smile this past Saturday, as we celebrated the largest Community Scholarship to date with the Astoria Houses Resident Association and many of you! Thanks to the leadership of Claudia Coger and the Astoria Houses Resident Association, each child in Astoria Houses with an NYC Scholarship Account received an additional $1,000 for their college and career futures. Read more below about the celebration if you missed it, and check out this short newsclip from Channel 11.
As you and your child head into February break, we wanted to remind you of two things happening next week that you can take advantage of:
  • “Choose the Right Account” Workshop on February 17th: We’re offering our “Choose the Right Account” workshop, where we’ll explain the differences between the two types of college savings accounts available to you through the Save for College Program. RSVP Here.
  • Virtual Town Hall on February 18th: We’ll be broadcasting a College and Career Community Panel discussion as part of our virtual Town Hall Series. This panel discussion is full of practical information and resources for you and your families to consider when planning for future education. RSVP Here.
Finally, we want to wish all of you that may be celebrating a Happy Lunar New Year! We’ve included some information in the resources below about how you can take advantage of a unique feature of 529 accounts called Ugift. Ugift allows you to share a code with families and friends who might be interested in providing a gift toward your child’s future. They can use your child’s Ugift code to deposit directly into their savings account!
With warm wishes to you and your families,
Debra-Ellen Glickstein
Executive Director
ASTORIA HOUSES COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP CELEBRATION
Click here to watch the community read-along of Superheroes are Everywhere
This past Saturday, the Save for College Program Community celebrated a historic milestone: the first community scholarship campaign led by a NYCHA resident association, and the largest community scholarship campaign to date. Under the leadership of President Claudia Coger, the Astoria Houses Resident Association raised over $180,000 for the NYC Scholarship Accounts of students living in Astoria Houses – $1,000 for each student.
Watch a replay of the community read-along of Superheroes are Everywhere by Vice President Kamala Harris, read by members of the Astoria Houses Resident Association, by clicking the image above.
NYC Kids RISE is continuing to work with you, your school, and other community partners to organize community scholarship campaigns across Community School District 30. If you would like to help organize a community scholarship campaign for your school community or neighborhood, contact NYC Kids RISE at [email protected].
MONTHLY VIRTUAL TOWN HALL THIS UPCOMING THURSDAY 2/18 AT 6PM: COLLEGE AND CAREER COMMUNITY PANEL
On the third Thursday of every month, please join NYC Kids RISE for our virtual town hall series, featuring local community experts sharing useful information for elementary school families.
Last Saturday, we were joined by college and career experts for a community panel discussion as part of our celebration of the Astoria Houses Community Scholarship. For this month’s town hall, we will re-broadcast this panel discussion full of practical advice for preparing your child for higher education from a young age.
Join our community panel next Thursday at 6pm
Featuring:
  • Principal Doris Danner – P.S. 234Q
  • Sandy Jimenez – Assistant Director of Training, The Goddard Riverside Center
  • Nadia Landy – Save for College Program Mom; Astoria Houses Resident; Lehman College, Class of 2016
  • Gabriella Malavé – Coro Fellow in Public Affairs, Coro Center for Civic Leadership; Former Astoria Houses Resident; Ithaca College, Class of 2018
  • Andre Stith – Student & Family Support Manager, Zone 126; Save for College Program Grandparent; Astoria Houses Resident
Moderated by Murray Abeles, Chief of Administration and Finance, NYC Kids RISE
You can watch live and ask questions via the NYC Kids RISE Facebook page. You can also watch via our YouTube channel.
Save the Date! Next month’s Virtual Town Hall will be held on Thursday, March 18.
SPRING 2020 VIRTUAL WORKSHOP SERIES
Throughout the Spring, in partnership with your child’s school, NYC Kids RISE is hosting a series of virtual workshops that will help you:
  • Understand the Save for College Program and its benefits for your child;
  • Learn about the types of college and career training that exist, and how the Save for College Program fits into funding college and career training costs; and
  • Explore the college savings account options available to families through the Save for College Program.
All workshops will be held in English, Spanish, and Bangla. Visit nyckidsrise.org/events to see the full calendar and RSVP for a workshop.
There are many ways to save for college. How do you choose the right account to fit your family’s needs? At this workshop, you will explore the differences between the two types of account options available through the Save for College Program: a 529 account and a traditional bank savings account.
English: Thursday, February 11 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Register Here
English: Wednesday, February 17 | 9am – 10:30am | Register Here
Spanish: Tuesday, February 16 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Register Here
Bangla: Thursday, February 18 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Register Here
At this virtual workshop, parents and guardians will hear more about the college savings options from NY 529, Amalgamated Bank, a Financial Coach and/or other parents and guardians who have experience opening these types of college savings accounts. Each expert will discuss the basics of their savings option, share their experience with savings for college, provide tips and answer questions.
English: Tuesday, March 23 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Register Here
Spanish: Wednesday, March 24 | 9am – 10:30am | Register Here
More workshops will be added throughout the Spring – visit nyckidsrise.org/events for the latest calendar.
GIVE THE GIFT OF COLLEGE SAVINGS
Happy Lunar New Year!
Lunar New Year is this week! NYC Kids RISE wishes you and your family well in the upcoming Year of the Ox.
Have you thought about a Lunar New Year gift for your child? If you have already opened and connected a 529 account, consider making another deposit as a holiday gift!
You can also ask family and friends to put money aside as an alternative to providing your child with a gift. It’s easy to have family members contribute with Ugift® – they can securely give money to your child without accessing any of your account information:
Log into your NY 529 account at nysaves.org and click “Share Ugift® code and view history of gifts”.
Share your 6-digit Ugift® code with friends and family who want to deposit to your child’s account.
To deposit, visit ugift529.com, enter the code, and click “Give a Gift.” You will see your child’s name and the account holder’s name.
Next, select an amount and follow the instructions to make a deposit.
Have questions about activating and using Ugift®?
Call the NY Saves hotline at (877) 697-2837
The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is a scholarship and savings program administered by NYC Kids RISE, Inc., a nonprofit, in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the City of New York. NYC Kids RISE is neither affiliated with, nor an authorized distributor of, New York’s 529 College Savings Program and does not solicit investments or provide investment advice. The City of New York and the NYC Department of Education offer no endorsement or recommendation about, and do not control, own or are affiliated with the program manager for New York’s 529 College Savings Program and any particular college savings or other investment vehicle, including ones which families may learn about through the Save for College Program.
ICYMI: STAYING FINANCIALLY HEALTHY IN HARD TIMES TOWN HALL
ICYMI Shining a Light on Community Support
Amidst unprecedented challenges, we have observed the power and importance of communities coming together to support one another. To kick off the 2021 NYC Kids RISE Virtual Town Hall Series, we brought together five members of the Save for College Program community that have stepped up to support their neighbors. These panelists, representing some of the many organizations and people that serve our neighbors, have developed creative initiatives — rooted in connection and relationships — to help address community needs. If you missed the live town hall, click the image above to catch the replay and learn about these great local organizers!
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Small steps to big college dreams
Find out how:
833-KID-RISE (833-543-7473)
The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program provides families, schools, and communities with a way to work together to save for their children’s futures. It’s a scholarship and savings program designed to make college and career training more accessible and achievable for all NYC public school students—regardless of their family’s income or immigration status. The Save for College Program is a tool that families, along with their schools and neighbors, can use and customize in the way that best fits into their lives and best supports their dreams for their children. NYC Kids RISE, a nonprofit organization, manages the Save for College Program in partnership with the NYC Department of Education and the City of New York.
Founding support provided by the Gray Foundation.
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