2012 Assets Learning Conference
 

Children's Savings Account Institute Agenda
September 19, 2012 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

 
Our Children’s Savings Account Institute will provide all the details needed to design and launch your own savings accounts for higher education, including how to engage families, design and manage accounts, and create powerful savings incentives.
 
Welcome and Opening Plenary                                                                     9:00 – 10:15 am
  • Welcoming Remarks and Setting the Foundation (Presentation - PDF)
    •  Why CSAs: Rationale, Research, and Evidence 
    • State of the Field
    • Key Components of a CSA Program
Break                                                                                                                   10:15 – 10:30 am
 
Plenary: Key Design Questions                                                                     10:30 – 11:45 am
  • Framing Key Design Questions (Presentation - PDF)
    • Target Populations, Enrollment, and Partnerships
    • Custodianship
    • Savings Incentives
    • Account Uses
Lunch: Inspiration and Idea-Sharing                                                            11:45 am – 1:15 pm
  • Speaker: A young accountholder formerly in the foster care system will share his experiences in saving.
  • Dialogue: Attendees will choose an “affinity group” related to their field or other area of interest and participate in a guided conversation.
  • Innovation: Demonstrating the 1:1 Fund
Break                                                                                                                   1:15 – 1:30 pm
 
Hands-On Workshops                                                                                     1:30 – 2:30 pm
Three interactive workshops will be presented simultaneously (and repeated later in the day to allow participants to attend multiple sessions).
  • Securing Sustainable Funding for CSA Programming: A diverse set of funders will explore what is appealing about this kind of initiative; what hard questions funders need answered; and what advice they have for entities seeking funding for CSAs. Panelists will also explore trends they are seeing in the CSA funding space.
  • Successful Financial Institution Partnerships: This session will help participants to better understand how to work with financial institutions in CSA initiatives. Panelists from a range of financial institutions will discuss how they have made the case for CSAs within their own institutions, how they support CSAs with account products and other services, and how providers can establish successful partnerships with financial institutions.
    • Speakers:
      • Bob Annibale, Citi
      • Pearl Wicks, Hope Credit Union
      • Elizabeth Vanderweide, FAME
      • Jason Giachelli, Southern Bancorp
  • Child and Family Engagement: Once a CSA initiative is funded and the account designed, engaging families to open and save in the account will be a critical element to success. A panel comprised of leaders from active CSA programs will explain the various methods they have used to talk with families about the account and explore both successes and failures in encouraging families to open – and continue saving in – their own CSAs.
Break                                                                                                                   2:30 – 2:45 pm
 
Hands-On Workshops Repeat                                                                      2:45 – 3:45 pm
 
Wrap-Up and Next Steps                                                                                3:45 – 4:30 pm
Looking to the future, this final dialogue will offer an opportunity for CSA Institute participants to share ideas and suggestions for ways to remain engaged in learning about the field and participate in ongoing peer learning.
 
 
 This Institute is sponsored by the Child and Family Savings sponsor, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.