February 4, 2020

Supportive Op-Ed from Queens Council Members Comes After the Enrollment of a Third Cohort of Students to the Save for College Program in School District 30 

 On February 4, Council Members Daniel Dromm, Costa Constantinides, Francisco Moya and Jimmy Van Bramer published an op-ed in the Gotham Gazette outlining the success of this program to date and their support for the expansion of the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program citywide. These council members all represent parts of School District 30 – where the program is currently being piloted – and have witnessed first-hand the benefits of this program on their communities.

In the op-ed, the council members expressed their shared commitment to bringing this program to all 83,000 kindergarteners in the New York City public school system each year:

“We believe that every New York City community would benefit from this program. That’s why we are working together to bring universal college savings accounts citywide, to all 83,000 kindergarteners who enter the New York City public school each year. We will work with our colleagues in the City Council, the Mayor’s Office, our partners at NYC Kids RISE, and other philanthropic and nonprofit partners to support the expansion of this program to new communities and boroughs.

This universal college savings and community wealth building initiative will not only reduce the cost burden of higher education but also bring our communities together to invest in our city’s future. Please join us in showing our children that their communities have their backs.”

This op-ed was published following a celebration to welcome the third cohort of students – bringing the total number of students in the Save for College Program in District 30 to 10,000. The celebration at The Ruby G. Allen School – P.S. 148 Q was attended by Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, Council Members Daniel Dromm, Francisco Moya and Jimmy Van Bramer and featured in QNS.com, NY1 Noticias, El Diario, and Queens Latino.

At the event, Chancellor Carranza also shared his commitment to this program, speaking in both English and Spanish to the diverse crowd of families in the room:

“When a student sees their parents open an account that is specifically for college, there’s no more powerful lesson for that student. It’s more than just saying you’re gonna go to college, it’s more than just saying we want you to go to college, it is a parent taking an active step [to] set the pathway for students to go to college. What we are doing today is empowering New York City.”

In addition, Council Member Dromm shared his commitment to fighting to fund this program in this year’s City budget:

“In New York City we are saying that no matter what your immigrant status is, you can open an account and begin to think about sending your children to college. I’m going to fight to get $6 million put into the city budget so we can guarantee this program in three additional districts and eventually in every district in New York City.”