First Stop on the CSA Campaign: East St. Louis

Earlier this month, we took the campaign for universal Children’s Savings Accounts in Illinois on the road, and our first stop was East St. Louis. It was the first of many CSA Learning Summits around the state that we’re hosting with Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI).

At the summit, we shared dreams for our children. Many of us hope that our children have bright, successful, and financially secure futures.

Dream Wall 1_0

While higher education could help our kids reach many of these dreams, there are many barriers that stand in our way, including the cost of college. Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) can inspire kids to dream big and help make college more accessible to families:

  • Low- and moderate-income children with $500 or more in savings are three times more likely to enroll in college than children with no savings, and four times more likely to graduate.
  • Children given a CSA at birth tend to have stronger development, both socially and emotionally.
  • Children with a CSA were twice as likely to expect to go to college than kids without one.

We want to spread the word about the CSA programs in other states, and advocate for something similar in Illinois. Together, we can make universal CSAs a reality!

To learn more about our CSA Campaign, please visit www.brighterfuturesil.org.

Want to Attend a CSA Learning Summit?

We hope you can join us at future summits. We’ll be hosting a CSA Learning Summit in Chicago on Friday, November 6, from 9:00am-1:30pm at Gary Comer Youth Center. Please be sure to RSVP online. If you have any questions, you can contact Jody at jblaylock@heartlandalliance.org.

Look out for additional Summits in Aurora and Champaign. More information to come soon!

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