Newly elected Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt kicked off the June 20 Child Development Account Forum by saying his office is “very focused” on the Missouri MOST 529 College Savings Plan.
“We want this program to be accessible to everybody in the state,” Schmitt told the more than 30 people who attended the invitation-only meeting.
Chris Wray, deputy state treasurer, told attendees, “We want to hear how we can help you.” He also presented data about enrollment at Missouri public universities and about MOST college savings accounts per capita in the state.
The Center for Social Development (CSD) and the treasurer’s office hosted the forum at the Brown School of Social Work.
The discussion centered on current Child Development Accounts (CDAs) programs in St. Louis City, Kansas City and Oklahoma, and on programs that are in d evelopment, such as the St. Louis Regional CDA. Representatives from Beyond Housing, United Way of Greater St. Louis, Gateway Region YMCA, Forward Through Ferguson, Ascensus College Savings, and others also participated.
CSD Policy Director Margaret Clancy and Mike Biblios, Ascensus College Savings
Vice President, facilitated discussion during the three-hour event. Clancy updated the group on CSD’s research and policy developments based on the SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK) experiment. Clancy leads that large-scale policy demonstration.