Every student in San Francisco public schools is already saving for college, and, thanks to the Parent Partner Program at Mission Graduates, all students at Paul Revere K-8 School were able to make their own deposits towards their futures this month.
Kindergarten to College is an innovative program of the City of San Francisco’s Office of Financial Empowerment. All San Francisco Unified School District students enter kindergarten with $50 saved for their education.
Different from a college savings account readily available, this unique savings program, in partnership with Citibank, allows all families to take steps towards realizing the college dream, regardless of their immigration status. For many parents with aspirations of higher education for their children, programs like these are an important step towards seeing their student on a clear pathway to college.
Because many families we work with do not use traditional bank accounts, outreach is so important to ensuring more families take advantage of this financial tool. The Parent Partner Program regularly presents workshops on this program, and even takes “field trips” to local branches to help parents become familiar with the process and oftentimes make their first deposit. Encouraging parents to bring their students along, the K2C accounts are shaping what a college-going culture means for our families – that college is the expectation, and as a family they are taking the steps to get there.