Here’s one way to get that college tuition nest egg started: Start applying for scholarships now. Parents of elementary and middle school students may be surprised at the number of awards programs aimed at the younger set. Some offer savings bonds and others money for private elementary schools, to take the pressure off future savings.
“As college costs rise, scholarships are becoming increasingly important to families to make ends meet,” says Kelly Tanabe, co-author of 1001 Ways to Pay for College. “Scholarship sponsors are realizing that they can make an even greater impact on students by offering scholarships earlier than high school. Elementary and middle school scholarships take some of the pressure off of parents, helping to ease the stress about how they’ll pay for college. It’s really never too early to start thinking about how to pay for college.”
Christopher Columbus Awards
Who: Grades 6–8
What: This national competition is designed for teams of three or four who identify a problem in the community and devise a solution through hands-on exploration and analysis by the team.
Award: $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond
ColumnbusFdn.org/christophercolumbus
Children’s Scholarship Fund
Who: Kindergarten through 8th grade
What: Partial tuition scholarships allow low-income families to send their children to private and parochial elementary schools. Scholarship recipients are selected in random drawings.
Award: The average scholarship is $1,220 per child
ScholarshipFund.org
ThinkQuest
Who: Ages 9–19
What: This team competition requires students to build innovative and educational web sites.
Award: Top 10 teams in each age division receive laptop computers and a cash award for their school.
ThinkQuest.org
Nicholas Green Award for Students
Who: Grades 3–6
What: Presented by the National Association for Gifted Children, the award recognizes excellence in academics, leadership, or the arts.
Award: $500 U.S. Savings Bond
NAGC.org
Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest
Who: Ages 6–12
What: Quite simply, participants must make the most creative peanut butter sandwich.
Award: The grand prize is a $25,000 scholarship. The four runners-up each receive a $2,500 scholarship.
Jif.com
Kohl’s Kids Who Care Program
Who: Ages 6–18
What: The program honors students involved in community service. An adult must nominate candidates.
Award: Regional winners receive a $1,000 scholarship, and national winners receive a $5,000 scholarship.
KohlsCorporation.com
Patriot’s Pen
Who: Grades 6–8
What: Patriot’s Pen is an essay-writing contest with a patriotic theme sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Award: The first-place winner receives a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond. The 28 top national winners receive U.S. Savings Bonds of from $1,000 to $10,000.
VFW.org
Prudential Spirit of CommunityAwards
Who: Grades 5–12
What: The award program recognizes children who engage in volunteer activities and community service.
Award: National winners receive a $5,000 award.
Prudential.com/spirit
Start Something
Who: Ages 8–17
What: Start Something is a joint program of Target and the Tiger Woods Foundation and includes three substantial projects to be completed by students. Once the projects are completed, participants are eligible to apply for scholarships.
Award: $5,000 awarded three times a year
TigerWoodsFoundation.org
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards
Who: Kindergarten to grade 12
What: This competition for teams of two to four students encourages students to explore a future technology or device and how it will affect our lives.
Award: The first prize is a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond for each student on the winning team. The second prize is a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond for each student.
ExploraVision.org
Maura Keller is a Plymouth-based freelance writer. She writes monthly book reviews for Minnesota Parent.
