Growing
The Modoc Child Savings Account Program
“Kids need a way to earn money. When you are too young for a work permit you can always do extra chores or offer to help out neighbors, but if nobody around you can afford to pay you, it really hinders your ability to save up for anything and really makes going to college feel out of reach.”
Modoc High School graduate and 2022 McConnell Scholarship winner Justus Robertson
Read more about our Modoc CSA here!
Special thanks to Modoc High School Interns Bell Farnam, James Heinreich, and Ebony Morris, and Dan Roeder of the David Zee Foundation, for developing this PSA!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: CalKIDS is a state program that gives children in California a jump start on saving for college. Newborns and eligible low-income public school students are automatically enrolled and given a CalKIDS college savings account with an initial deposit. There is no need to apply and no requirement that families make any kind of financial commitment.
Modoc CSA Program
Overview
Modoc Child Savings Accounts are deposit-only savings accounts opened and maintained by Advancing Modoc(AM), a division of TEACH, to help students enrolled in Alturas Elementary, Surprise Elementary, or Tulelake Elementary schools in grades K-3 save for college, vocational programs, or other post-secondary education. A student, their family, and friends, may open a separate account and contribute individually to their student as well.
AM maintains Modoc Child Savings Accounts through Scholarshare. The accounts grow through contributions of seed money and incentives. Students and their parents/guardians may review their Modoc CSA account balance and transaction history online. Once parent/guardian surveys are completed, instructions will be emailed to access these accounts.
SEED MONEY
Seed money is a deposit of funds to an eligible student account by AMY for the benefit of the student. These funds are provided by AM. There is no match requirement and funds are combined with incentives in the investment account.
INCENTIVES
Incentives are funds provided by AM, in collaboration with the elementary school that the student attends, and are received by meeting certain requirements or achievements as determined by the school. Incentives can be earned only while a student is enrolled in an eligible school.
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Post-secondary education is any form of formal education or training after high school. CSA funds can be used at any eligible educational institution. That is any college, university, vocational or technical school deemed eligible to participate in federal student aid programs. This includes thousands of schools in the U.S. and some abroad. Use the Federal School Code Search on the FAFSA Web site (www.fafsa.ed.gov) to search for a complete list of eligible colleges, universities, and vocational schools.
DISBURSEMENTS
When a student is ready to use their Modoc CSA funds for post-secondary education expenses, the student will contact the AM program at: amy@teachinc.org. If a student does not attend post-secondary education by age 20, all funds may be transferred to a sibling or will return to the Modoc CSA program. Students who serve in a national service program, such as the US Military, Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, may defer receipt of their funds one year for each year of service, to a maximum of five years or age 23.
LEAVING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
If a student is no longer enrolled in a public Modoc County school for one academic year or more, the account is forfeited back to the Modoc CSA program to be reinvested into the next class. To keep the account open, a student must remain enrolled in a public Modoc County school. Any incentives or seed money the student received while enrolled will remain in the Modoc Child Savings Account until they graduate from a public Modoc County High School: Tulelake High, Surprise Valley High, Modoc High, Warner High, or the Modoc County Adult School. Homeless or Foster youth are exempt from this requirement, but must graduate from an eligible Modoc high school.
Advancing Modoc supports all things Modoc! That includes professional photography by Ma'Keilah Stopher. See more of her work at:
A Word About Equity…
Modoc County is home to 3 Indigenous tribes living on their ancestral lands - not immune from the health, wellness, and educational outcomes of most native populations in the US. It takes intentional effort and care to fix the historic discrimination and wrongs suffered. Modoc is also home to many people with disabilities. This is our community and we value and respect each individual as worthy of investment and as an important part of who we are. We bring this intentionality and care to every program and collaboration.
Advancing Modoc
Advancing Modoc
ParentGuidance.org is an online service by licensed therapists that provides trusted and specialized courses, professional support and a safe community for parents to learn how to support their children and get answers to mental health questions.
CalKIDS is a state program that gives children in California a jump start on saving for college. Newborns and eligible low-income public school students are automatically enrolled and given a CalKIDS college savings account with an initial deposit. There is no need to apply and no requirement that families make any kind of financial commitment.
We collaborate and support many youth programs in Modoc County! Click on the photo above to watch the Surprise Valley Summer STEAM Camp video from 2021.