Spotlight

Celebrating 10+ Years of Kindergarten to College: An Interview with Mohan Kanungo, Program Manager

This year, San Francisco’s Kindergarten to College (K2C) program celebrated its belated 10th anniversary (delayed one year by COVID-19). The celebration included the program’s founders, California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros, along with State Treasurer Fiona Ma and San Francisco Mayor Landon Breed. The program also recently reached $11 million saved for students’ postsecondary education. Both milestones were celebrated by inviting a class of first graders from Bryant Elementary Schools to visit San Francisco City Hall. To discuss the impact of the 10th anniversary, the growth of K2C, and plans for the program’s future, Prosperity Now’s Policy Associate, Oliver Robinson, talked with K2C Program Manager Mohan Kanungo. The interview is edited for length and clarity. Read More.

Policy Updates

Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg Announces Members of Baby Bonds Task Force

Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg recently announced members of a new Baby Bonds Task Force, which include Shira Markoff, Policy Fellow at Prosperity Now. The task force will develop recommendations for a Baby Bonds initiative for Massachusetts that will address the racial wealth gap and provide greater economic stability for younger generations. The task force includes a diverse group of members with expertise and experience in Baby Bonds initiatives, racial wealth equity, community engagement, child welfare and asset-building initiatives.

In the News

The City of Atlanta Launches CSA Program to Lay the Foundation for Children’s Futures

Last month, the City of Atlanta celebrated the launch of a Children’s Savings Account (CSA) program, which is managed by local nonprofit Operation HOPE. The program will provide a $50 initial deposit to kindergarteners in Atlanta Public Schools to jumpstart their savings for higher education. Additionally, students will receive incentives to build their savings and the program will match up to $25 in deposits made into children’s accounts. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens offered high praise for the program, sharing a quote from Nelson Mandela. “The way a society treats its children is a revelation of our soul,” said Dickens. “We are investing in our children’s future, so the soul of the city is revealing a lot at this very moment.”

Early Bird Seeks to Improve Children’s Educational and Financial Outcomes in Central Texas

Early Bird—a unique Children’s Savings Account (CSA) program in Texas—is making great strides to improve financial security and expand educational opportunities for children and their families. Early Bird is described as a “health system-integrated scholarship program for children in poverty,” which is run through several Central Texas clinics. The program enrolled more than 260 mothers and children from October 2020 to December 2021, providing up to $500 in a 529 college savings account for children, access to financial coaching and support with pre-K enrollment. The program is currently being evaluated through a randomized control trial to determine its impact on families’ health, educational and financial outcomes.

State of the Field: Children’s Savings Account Webinar

On May 17, 2022, Prosperity Now held its annual State of the CSA Field webinar, which provided highlights of findings from the 2022 State of the Children’s Savings Field report. Erin Thiemann, Senior Program Manager at Prosperity Now, provided a deeper dive into the data, methodology and challenges in gathering information for the report. Celeste Rodriguez, Senior Project Manager at the City of Los Angeles Community Investment for Families Department, discussed one of the key programs that launched in 2021, Opportunity LA. In case you missed it, the webinar recording is available here.

Resources and Publications

Innovation Propels the Movement: The State of the Children’s Savings Field 2021 (report)| Prosperity Now| May 2022

State of the Field: Children's Savings Accounts (webinar)| Prosperity Now| May 2022

Upcoming Events

Camp Prosperity| Prosperity Now| July 12-26, 2022 

On Tuesday July 12th, Prosperity Now will kick off our three-week virtual advocacy learning series:

The New Change Agent: Federal, State, & Local Advocacy in an Election Year | Tuesday, July 12 |2:00-3:30 pm EDT 
Permission to Engage: Equipping Ambassadors to Advocate for Change | Tuesday, July 19| 2:00-3:30 pm EDT 
Equity to Justice: Reimagining Strategies for Community-Driven Solutions| Tuesday, July 26| 2:00-3:30 pm EDT

2022 Prosperity Summit| Prosperity Now| September 19-22, 2022 

Prosperity Now will host the biannual Prosperity Summit from September 19-22 in Atlanta, Georgia. The three-day conference is an opportunity for racial equity advocates to present, network and workshop with 1,500+ fellow attendees around the year’s theme of Marching On: Reimagining Economic Justice for All. Join us to embrace the long history of civil rights leaders and action from the Georgia community and unite around the call for racial economic justice. 