By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — As the cost to attend college continues to rise, the town of Fort Fairfield is doing its part to create higher education opportunities for local newborns and kindergartners.
Photo courtesy of Michael Bosse
Fort Fairfield officials and the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) gathered last Tuesday at the Fort Fairfield Elementary School to announce a new college education program for eligible local youth. The innovative program will provide scholarships to help Fort Fairfield residents save and invest for college in Maine’s NextGen College Investing Plan. Here, Sue Parks, school principal, shares her thoughts on the new program before a crowd that included about 45 kindergartners.
Last Tuesday, town officials and the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) gathered at the Fort Fairfield Elementary School to announce a new college education program named Fort Kids First — Future College Plan. This innovative program will provide scholarships to help Fort Fairfield residents save and invest for college in Maine’s NextGen College Investing Plan.
Fort Kids First has two scholarship opportunities. The first provides any newborn resident of Fort Fairfield, born after July 1, 2011, with a $250 scholarship grant into a NextGen account, while the second provides any child entering kindergarten at the Fort Fairfield Elementary School beginning with the 2011-12 school year with a $50 scholarship grant to be deposited in a NextGen account.
“With higher education expenses rising every year, it’s more important than ever to start saving and investing early for college,” said Beth Bordowitz, chief executive officer of FAME. “These new scholarships will help bring the dream of attending college one step closer for Maine families.”
Town Manager Dan Foster agreed.
“As the cost of college rises each year, the power of these scholarships and NextGen can’t be underestimated,” he said.
In August, the Fort Fairfield Quality of Place Council asked the Fort Fairfield Town Council to establish a college education fund for eligible local youth. Councilors voted unanimously to implement this new strategy to promote the habit of saving, to develop a more intimate understanding of financial matters, and to provide another way for Fort Fairfield residents to demonstrate their commitment to the pursuit of postsecondary education.
David McCrea, council chair, said NextGen was selected as the investment vehicle for Fort Kids First because it provides “a convenient and easy way to save for higher education expenses.”
“This is a terrific opportunity for Fort Fairfield to partner with NextGen in a scholarship program that will have meaningful financial impact on a young student’s future educational expenses,” said McCrea. “Our hope is that these scholarships will provide that spark that will make young students think ‘I can go to college, too’ and will enable their parents to help make that goal come true.”
Also attending the announcement were Brent Churchill, chair of the Quality of Place Council; Rep. Tyler Clark (R-Easton), Sue Parks, principal of the Fort Fairfield Elementary School; Marc Gendron, superintendent of SAD 20; approximately 45 kindergarteners along with their parents, and teachers Becky Woodman, Cynthia Jones and Sarah McCullough.
Fort Fairfield is the first community in the state to offer a college fund for its youngest residents.
For more information on the Fort Kids First program, call Michael Bosse at 472-3802.
