A new program is providing all first-graders enrolled in the Los Angeles Unified School District — an estimated 31,000 students — with a free college savings account.
The program, Opportunity LA, launched this week and is aimed at encouraging families to begin saving early for college or other post-high-school education such as trade schools by removing barriers like paperwork and eligibility concerns that might prevent families from starting accounts.
"This program does more than give kids and families a financial boost toward making college more affordable and accessible," LAUSD Board Vice President Nick Melvoin said in a statement, "it also instills a college-going mindset in our students from an early age."
