NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program

What is the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program?

The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program is a scholarship and savings program designed to make college and career training more accessible for all NYC public school students— regardless of family income or immigration status.

In partnership with our nonprofit partner, NYC Kids RISE, through the Save for College Program, every kindergarten student enrolled in a participating NYC public school automatically receives a NYC Scholarship Account with an initial $100 allocation on their behalf, unless their parents/guardians “opt out” of the program.

The Save for College Program began as a pilot in 2017 in the geography of Community School District 30, and now 96% of all eligible students (~13,500 first through fourth graders) in pilot schools have a NYC Scholarship Account with financial assets for their educational futures. Visit the Save for College Program Pilot website to learn more about the pilot phase of the Save for College Program.

As part of the 2021 Juneteenth Economic Justice Plan, the City announced the expansion of the Save for College Program to all kindergarten students enrolled in NYC Public Schools (including participating charter schools) starting September 2021.

What is the NYC Scholarship Account?

Once a student is enrolled in the Save for College program, NYC Kids RISE will create an NYC Scholarship Account and automatically allocate $100 toward the student’s educational future. Over time, NYC Kids RISE will offer opportunities for families to earn more money for their student’s NYC Scholarship Account. Community organizations, businesses and others can also add to the scholarship accounts through Community Scholarships to help students reach their college and career goals.

NYC Kids RISE, a nonprofit organization, owns and manages the scholarship funds on behalf of participating students, and invests the funds in New York's 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan, a type of investment account specifically designed to help save for higher education.

How is the Account created?

NYC Kids RISE will create an account in each student’s name if and when they receive information from the DOE about each participating student and their parent/guardian(s). Visit the NYC Kids RISE Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.

What information will be shared if a student takes part in the scholarship portion of the program?

The DOE will only share what is known as “Directory Information” about students and their parents/guardians.

Directory Information for Students Includes

• A student identification number unique to the program
• Full name
• Birthdate
• Home address
• Whether the home address changes
• Home phone number
• School name
• Current grade level
• Language(s) spoken at home
• Transfers made to other schools, if any, both inside and outside the NYC public school system

Directory Information for Parents Includes:

• Parent identification numbers unique to the program
• Full name
• Email address
• Cell and/or other phone number

Who gets the Directory Information?

NYC Kids RISE and VistaShare, a data management company.

How can NYC Kids RISE and VistaShare use it?

They are only allowed to use or share Directory Information to run and evaluate their program. Neither organization is allowed to sell, use, or share the Directory Information for advertising, marketing, or other commercial purposes. NYC Kids RISE follows strict privacy and confidentiality guidelines for all family information. In fact, they need our approval before sharing Directory Information with anyone else.

After your student has been enrolled in the program, NYC Kids RISE will also use this information to contact you about the Save for College Program. Participating families can update the contact information provided to NYC Kids RISE and unsubscribe from certain kinds of communications by clicking “unsubscribe” when you receive emails from the Save for College Program.

What rules are there about sharing student information?

A federal law called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents the DOE from sharing a student’s personally identifiable information without permission from a parent or guardian. However, unless parents/guardians tell us not to, the DOE can share Directory Information about them and their student.

If you are looking for opt out information, please continue to the “How do Parents/Guardians opt out of the Program?” section.

What do parents/guardians have to do to receive an NYC Scholarship Account for their student?

Parents/guardians do not have to do anything to receive an NYC Scholarship Account. If the student is in one of the participating schools and grades they will automatically be enrolled and receive an NYC Scholarship Account. Each NYC Scholarship Account comes with an initial $100 allocation from NYC Kids RISE. Parents/guardians do not have to provide any money of their own to get this account.

Can a student receive funds from NYC Kids RISE and not share their information?

Unfortunately, no. NYC Kids RISE and VistaShare need that information in order to run the scholarship account portion of the program.

How do parents/guardians opt out of the program?

The opt out process for the 2022-23 school year begins in November 2022. Parents/guardians have the opportunity to opt out of the program based on when your child was enrolled in school.

To tell your school that you do not want your child to be enrolled in the Save for College Program, you must opt out within a 30 day period. More details will be shared in the coming weeks. After the opt-out period has begun visit the NYC Schools Account(Open external link) to opt out. After logging in to your NYC Schools Account, look at the main screen with all of the tiles. Click on the “Postsecondary Planning” tile, then click on the button on the next page that says “NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program.” After this you can review program information and will have relevant options available towards the bottom of the page.

If you do not use NYC Schools Account, you can also obtain a personalized opt-out notice and form from your school, sign and submit it to your school secretary. Speak to your school parent coordinator for more information. You may also email savingtogether@schools.nyc.gov with questions.

What if I want to change my student’s participation after their opt-out period has ended?

After your student’s opt-out period has ended, you may still make changes to their program participation by visiting your NYC Schools Account. Visit the NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program page to view your options.

If you do not use NYC Schools Account, you can also obtain a Participation Status Change form from your school, sign and submit it to your school secretary. Speak to your school parent coordinator for more information.

When will my student’s account be available?

NYC Kids RISE will notify you directly when your student’s account is available to be viewed and activated. Participating families will receive a Welcome Email and Welcome Kit via postal mail with instructions and information once their accounts are ready to be activated and viewed.

I have a question that hasn’t been answered. Where can I find more information?

Your student’s school and this page will also share guidance and updates over the year. Email savingtogether@schools.nyc.gov with questions.

Visit the NYC Kids RISE Frequently Asked Questions page for more program information.

Contact our nonprofit partners at NYC Kids RISE at 833-543-7473 or by emailing them at info@nyckidsrise.org if you have questions about:

• The types of investments the account uses
• Matching money
• Qualification
• Other program-related questions