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Jumpstart on College Savings

       $50.00 Deposit for 5th Grade Students 

Parents and guardians of children in the 5th grade at Reed Elementary, Dumas, AR are eligible to enroll in the Child Savings Account (CSA) Program.

The Delta STeAM program is the first of its kind to offer a financial pathway to college for its youth participants.

Young adults who save for college are 2x more likely to graduate high school and 3x more likely to complete college, regardless of race or ethnicity. By including a Child Savings Account (CSA) Program in this project, we hope to provide a savings mechanism and pathway towards college or trade school for participants and their families.

Each child whose parent enrolls in the CSA Program receives a $50 seed deposit in an AR 529 College Plan to launch (or supplement) educational savings. A 529 College Plan is designed to encourage savings for higher education expenses of a designated child.

Financial Education: We understand that financial knowledge is a vital life skill. We will offer bi-monthly financial education classes that cover topics such as savings, budgeting, credit, and strategies for paying for college or job training. We encourage you to attend these informative sessions with your child.

Financial Education Class Dates for 2024:
    • April 18
    • June 20
    • August 15
    • October 17
    • December 5

Time:         5:30-6:30 pm
Location: Dumas Community Center, 18 Belmont Street, Dumas, AR

We share 529 Plan savings ideas such as depositing tooth fairy coins, birthday cash, and/or weekly allowances!

Please visit the following websites for more information about:

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Piloting simple and effective strategies for helping Delta-based youth succeed in high school and college and accumulate less debt

Please email Marcia Shobe at mshobe@uark.edu to enroll your child and to learn more about the financial education classes.

Our work will have local, state, and national implications for asset building and post-secondary education and training for rural communities. We know that there are limited banking opportunities available in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, tax expenditures that do not apply to low-income households, and restricted opportunities to access affordable education. We will share our findings and the implications of our research with Arkansas legislators to help draft policy and create transformative opportunities for youth and their families in the Delta region and across the state.