05.16 Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to Help APS, Operation HOPE, City of Atlanta Launch Program to Provide Savings Accounts for Kindergarten Students, Today

ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Communications and Public Engagement
130 Trinity Avenue SW | Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Seth Coleman, Director of Media Relations & Television Broadcast
404-802-2891, office
404-406-5570, cell
seth.coleman@atlanta.k12.ga.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              
May 16, 2022

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to Help
APS, Operation HOPE, City of Atlanta Launch Program to Provide Savings Accounts for Kindergarten Students, Today

APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will talk about the significance of the Child Savings Account program

ATLANTA – Hundreds of kindergarten students in Atlanta Public Schools will begin saving for college and learning about the importance of financial literacy, thanks to a collaborative initiative between the district, Operation HOPE and the City of Atlanta.

The HOPE Child Savings Accounts Program, Powered by the City of Atlanta will provide all kindergarten students in APS Title I schools with a free savings account starting with a one-time deposit of $50. Operation HOPE has partnered with Citi, which provides banking, data management and consulting services for the program. Savings are held for the benefit of students by Operation HOPE in custodial bank accounts at Citi, which allows for universal program participation for students.

Other features of the program include:

  • Family deposits and program incentives to help the money grow
  • Funds cannot be withdrawn until graduation ​from an APS high school 
  • Upon graduation, student can use money to pay for tuition, books, and other educational expenses
  • Financial literacy workshops will be available for students, parents, and caregivers

The program will launch officially with a celebration scheduled for today, 10 – 11:30 a.m., at Tuskegee Airmen Global (TAG) Academy (1626 Westhaven Drive, SW), featuring kindergarten students and parents, and remarks from:

  • APS Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring
  • Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens
  • Former Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms
  • U.S. Director of Citi Community Investing and Development Sandra Reilly
  • Operation HOPE Executive Vice President Lance Triggs
  • Operation HOPE Founder/Chairman/CEO John Hope Bryant (virtually)

More information on the HOPE Child Savings Accounts Program, Powered by the City of Atlanta, may be found here or by emailing csaprogram@operationhope.org. 

WHO:           Atlanta Public Schools, Citi, Operation HOPE and the City of Atlanta are collaborating on an initiative to begin teaching kindergarten students, and their parents, about the importance of financial literacy. 

WHAT:          The HOPE Child Savings Accounts Program, Powered by the City of Atlanta will launch with officially with a celebratory event featuring kindergarten students and their parents, as well as representatives from all the organizations, including Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

WHEN:         Monday, May 16 | 10 – 11:30 AM

WHERE:       Tuskegee Airmen Global (TAG) Academy | 1626 Westhaven Drive, SW  

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About Atlanta Public Schools

Atlanta Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the state of Georgia, serving approximately 50,000 students across 87 schools and five programs. The District is organized into nine K-12 clusters with 64 traditional schools, 19 charter schools, six partner schools, two alternative schools and five alternative programs. To learn more about Atlanta Public Schools, follow us on social media – Twitter (@apsupdate), Facebook (Atlanta Public Schools), and Instagram (apsupdate) – or visit us online at www.atlantapublicschools.us.   

Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi.