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TAMPA, Fla. — Thanks to a new partnership between Hillsborough County Schools and Florida Prepaid, parents can kick start their children’s college saving plan simply by coming to school.
From now until May 2, all kindergarten students have a chance to win a Florida Prepaid $1,000 scholarship if they have good attendance.
Heather Smith has taught kindergarten for nine years at DeSoto Elementary School in Tampa. She says it has changed a lot since she was their age.
“We’re not just teaching A, B, C’s anymore," Smith said. "We’re teaching sight words, we’re teaching blending, we’re teaching actual math problems, word problems, being able to solve addition, subtraction, learning about science and the natural world around them as well as life skills for them."
Because of that, attendance is crucial, which is why Hillsborough County Schools partnered with Florida Prepaid to give parents an extra push in making sure their kindergarteners are at school every day. The program will take a look at all of their attendance from Feb. 17 to May 2.
“What we’re going to do is put all their names in a hat here at DeSoto and we’re going to get to draw three random names of the students who will receive a thousand dollar scholarship each from Florida Prepaid,” said Principal Emily Tirelli.
Tirelli says each elementary school will award three kindergarteners with the $1,000 scholarship, and all kindergarteners with 90% attendance will receive a $100 Florida Prepaid scholarship.
“It’s not often that we’re able to provide scholarships to kindergarten students and be able to see how important it is that they come to school every day,” said Tirelli.
By teaching them the importance of showing up every day now, these DeSoto Dragons are setting themselves up for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Four hundred kindergarteners in Hillsborough County will receive the $1,000 scholarship. In total, it is a $1.6 million investment from Florida Prepaid. The money will be put into a Florida 529 Savings Plan for each student.
