SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 16, 2016) - In celebration of its new "Start Small" campaign, ScholarShare, California's 529 College Savings Plan, announced that it will help California families start their college savings efforts by offering up to $10,000 in college savings through "Start Small. Dream Big." events.
ScholarShare's first "Start Small. Dream Big." event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016 at the Westfield Santa Anita in the city of Arcadia. The events will feature an oversized puzzle that, once finished, will display an image to show that small, realistic steps can lead to a better savings outcome for higher education expenses.
"We know that saving for college can be an overwhelming challenge for many California families, and that is why our 'Start Small' campaign encourages families to approach the savings process with a positive mindset," said State Treasurer John Chiang, Chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board, which administers the program. "Rather than focusing on the overall amount needed for their children to attend college, we encourage families to start with small, manageable steps that build momentum over time. The key is to get started, and we want to help California families to do just that with our statewide 'Start Small. Dream Big.' events."
Through this sweepstakes, California parents and grandparents will have the opportunity to enter for the chance to win a piece to the puzzle. Each puzzle piece will be worth at least $50 towards a ScholarShare 529 college savings account. A total of $10,000 in college savings accounts will be distributed at each event -- the average cost of tuition and room and board at a four-year California university.
California parents and grandparents can enter for a chance to win at https://www.scholarshare.com/start-small-dream-big/index.php. Each entrant may submit one entry form during the sweepstakes period. The sweepstakes period will close at 1:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. Winners will be announced live at each event, and invited to place a piece of the puzzle on the board. As each piece is placed on the board, winners will reveal how much money they have won towards their ScholarShare 529 college savings account.
More details about the event, including official rules, prize details, eligibility requirements and upcoming event dates are available at https://www.scholarshare.com/start-small-dream-big/downloads/ScholarShare-Start-Small-Dream-Big-Sweepstakes-Rules.pdf. Must be present to win. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Sponsored by ScholarShare.
About the ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan:
To sign up for an account or for more information about the plan, visit http://www.scholarshare.com/. For information about the ScholarShare Investment Board (SIB), visit http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare. Like ScholarShare on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/scholarshare529 and follow us on Twitter at @ScholarShare529.
Named for the section of the IRS code under which they were created, 529 plans offer valuable tax advantages. Contributions are made with money that has already been taxed. Once funds are placed in the account, investment earnings, if any, are not federally or state taxed, if withdrawn to pay for qualified higher education costs.
The ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan Twitter and Facebook pages are managed by the State of California.
For more news, please follow the Treasurer on Twitter at @CalTreasurer and on Facebook at California State Treasurer's Office.