NYC Kids Rise lets public school alumni invest in college scholarships for elementary school students
NEW YORK — New York City public school graduates are giving back by contributing to scholarship funds for current students.
It's through NYC Kids Rise, a program designed to make college more accessible and affordable.
What is NYC Kids Rise?
Every New York City public school student between kindergarten and third grade already has an NYC Kids Rise scholarship account with some money already there. On top of that, parents can contribute to college savings, allowing that money to grow over time.
"Every kid will get an initial $100 and then families can take some additional steps to earn additional rewards into the scholarship account. They can also open up their own account and they can begin to also put their own money into that account," said Debra-Ellen Glickstein, Founding Executive Director of NYC Kids Rise.
It's a 529 savings plan, and the program is able to match the community's contributions to double the scholarship amounts.
Last month, city leaders announced that 280,000 public school students have more than $43 million already invested in these accounts, with plans for the program to expand.
"I am a principal, but I have a kindergartner who entered kindergarten this year, so this helped us understand that it's basically just a starting place for our youngsters and just giving them a chance and understanding that college is attainable for them," said Florentine Ulysse, Principal of P.S. 221.
Parents can access and activate their children's scholarship accounts here.
"I really don't want any obstacle to be in their way"
Dr. Tischelle George walks down the halls of P.S. 221 in Crown Heights. It's a walk down memory lane for the Brooklyn native, now an adjunct professor at NYU and Vice President at the New York City Housing Authority.
She spoke with current third graders at a recent visit about her time at the school, and came with an announcement: she managed to raise $3,000 to contribute to their scholarship accounts through NYC Kids Rise.
"I really don't want any obstacle to be in their way, certainly not a financial obstacle to keep them from pursuing their dreams of college or a career in the future. So starting at a young age is really the best thing that we can do as a community to let students know that the whole community is really behind them and rooting for them to succeed," George said .
The investment in their futures is inviting students to get creative.
"I want to be an astronaut and a lemonade salesperson," said 8-year-old Anthony Sylvester.
"I want to run my own business so I can make a lot of money," said Said Henieph, who is in third grade.
"I want to be a computer science expert," said their classmate, Elijah Deane. "You don't have to just wait until you get older to save up. And you could just start college any time with the amount of money you already have."
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