Publication Date: April 23, 2019
A PROMISING STRATEGY
Children’s Savings Account (CSA) programs are a promising strategy to open the path to postsecondary education for more low- and moderate-income children. CSAs provide children (starting in elementary school or younger) with savings or investment accounts and financial incentives for the purpose of postsecondary education. Beyond their financial role, CSAs are associated with beneficial effects for children and parents, including improved educational expectations, social-emotional development, academic performance, and college access and completion.
The CSA Survey was conducted between December 2017 and March 2018 nationwide.
FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT
The CSA Survey provides a picture of strong private and public investment in CSAs in the United States. It is apparent that most CSAs are made possible by several organizations aligning their efforts and supporting different aspects of the CSA financially and/or through in-kind contributions. Active CSAs in our sample received financial support from an average of 4.1 sources and in-kind support from 2.3 sources, illustrating the truly collaborative nature of CSAs.
The CSA Survey was generously funded by the Charles Steward Mott Foundation and the Prudential Foundation.
