Community School District 31 schools join schools across the city celebrating NYC Scholarship Month by supporting families to activate their children’s free NYC Scholarship Accounts with money set aside for college and career training

February 3, 2026

Staten Island, NY – In January 2026, Community School District 31 leaders welcomed kindergarten students and families to the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program as part of NYC Scholarship Month, the first opportunity new families have to activate their children’s free NYC Scholarship Accounts and view the money set aside for their future college and career training.

Schools across Staten Island are incorporating the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program as a tool for college and career readiness, family engagement, and school-to-community connections. Across the five boroughs, elementary schools are hosting events, workshops, and family outreach activities so that families know their children already have a resource for their educational futures. Each student’s account starts with an initial $100 seed investment and there are opportunities to earn more over time, building on this financial asset for higher education expenses and encouraging students to dream big about the future.

As of January, there are more than 340,000 public school students citywide who have over $57 million accumulated across their NYC Scholarship Accounts, invested in a NY 529 Direct Plan for their future college and career training. On Staten Island, more than 21,500 students have over $3 million invested.

Citywide, approximately 70,000 new students received NYC Scholarship Accounts in January. That includes around 60,000 kindergartners whose parents/guardians can now activate and view the accounts at nyckidsrise.org/activate.

“As we welcome more than 70,000 new students and their families to the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program this year, we are proud that over 340,000 NYC public school scholars now have NYC Scholarship Accounts across the city,” said NYC Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “College affordability is key, and early access to a financial asset for college and career training reinforces our message to every student: we believe in you and support your aspirations. I encourage parents and guardians to activate and view their children’s accounts. It’s a meaningful first step in our work together, preparing all our kids for success in college and career training, and in rewarding careers.”

“This NYC Scholarship Month, as schools welcome the kindergarten class to the Program, we celebrate what we’ve achieved for our children already, and what more we can accomplish together,” said Debra-Ellen Glickstein, Founding Executive Director of NYC Kids RISE. “Through the work of so many partners across government, philanthropy, the private sector and communities, now what it means to start public school in New York City is that you will have a financial asset for your educational futures. We are showing what’s possible when we come together to collectively support our children’s futures.”

“The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program demonstrates the power of early collective investment in children, communities and New York City,” said Dana Zucker, NYC Kids RISE Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Gray Foundation. “Amassing more than $57 million for our children’s college and career goals reflects the power of public-private-partnerships and collaboration. We welcome the new Kindergarten class to the Program, and work towards a future where all our kids are set up for success.”

“This NYC Scholarship Month, we are excited to join NYC Kids RISE and our public schools to welcome more than 70,000 new students to the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program. We celebrate that NYC families have access to essential resources and support for our children’s college and career futures,” said New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. “I was proud to help launch NYC Kids RISE so every child, regardless of zip code, has access to educational and economic opportunity. I look forward to the City Council continuing to support this critical program as we work to make New York City more affordable.”

NYC Scholarship Month events, like the celebration at P.S. 41 The Stephanie A. Vierno School, are examples of the ways schools across Staten Island are incorporating the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program as a tool for college and career readiness, family engagement, and school-to-community connections. Across the five boroughs, elementary schools like P.S. 41 are hosting events, workshops, and family outreach activities so that families know their children already have a resource for their educational futures. Each student’s account starts with an initial $100 seed investment and there are opportunities to earn more over time, building on this financial asset for higher education expenses and encouraging students to dream big about the future.

There are additional opportunities for families to receive more money over time through Community Scholarships, which send a message to students that their community believes in their potential and is investing in their success.

“The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is a vehicle for our schools to connect with families and communities and work together on college and career readiness,” said Jane Martinez Dowling, Chief of NYC Public Schools Office of Student Pathways. “And when children and families find out they have money for the future, it changes their ideas about what’s possible. NYC Scholarship Month is an important first opportunity for new families to activate their accounts and take part in this citywide commitment to educational opportunity for all our students.”

“In District 31, we are focused on expanding college and career opportunities, and ensuring that every student in District 31 graduates ready for their next step,” said Community School District 31 Superintendent Dr. Roderick Palton. “The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program plays an important role in that journey, collaborating with our community and neighbors to invest in students’ success. I encourage families to get started with the Program today by activating their child’s NYC Scholarship Account and viewing the funds already set aside for their future.”

School teams support families to activate and view their students’ NYC Scholarship Accounts and learn about how they can work together to support their children’s college and career goals, starting as early as kindergarten. Families can receive up to $175 in additional rewards for their child’s NYC Scholarship Account when they complete steps in the Program: when they activate the account, open their own college and career savings account, and start saving their own money in the ways and amounts that make sense for them. 

NYC Kids RISE has provided schools with toolkits, digital and print materials, outreach tools, and additional resources available in multiple languages to encourage families to activate their child’s NYC Scholarship Account and take other steps in the Program. For support with activating and viewing their child’s account in their language, families can reach out to their school, attend an upcoming virtual workshop at nyckidsrise.org/events, email NYC Kids RISE at [email protected], or call the NYC Kids RISE hotline at 833-543-7473.

About NYC Kids RISE

The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is a universal, community driven wealth-building platform for New York City neighborhoods that expands access to mainstream financial products; builds individual, family, and collective financial assets; provides financial education for families and students; and brings schools and communities together to support all their children’s futures. The Save for College Program’s model is intended to drive neighborhood-level changes in economic opportunity and mobility by promoting asset building, reinforcing college- and career-going expectations, and strengthening social capital, networks, and infrastructure in neighborhoods across New York City.

NYC Kids RISE launched a pilot phase in 2017 in geographic School District 30 (Queens), in partnership with the NYC Public Schools and the City of New York, with founding support from the Gray Foundation. Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, and every year going forward, students in eligible grades enrolled in an NYC public school, including participating charter schools, automatically receive an NYC Scholarship Account with money set aside for future college and career training, and opportunities to earn more through early rewards and Community Scholarships, unless their families choose not to participate. To date, more than $57 million has been invested across the Accounts of more than 340,000 students that will help to support their future college and career training.