College Planning: It's Never Too Early

One evening a few weeks ago, I presented an Early College Planning webinar, providing information to families about saving for college. In attendance were over 100 parents of mostly elementary-aged students, with some middle school and early high school parents mixed in. We had a great conversation, as there were so many questions from the audience about how much to save, how savings affects financial aid, and the best options for saving. We laughed (to keep from crying?) and it seemed that many people left well-informed and feeling good about having started to think about a financial plan for college. I was elated - practically jumping up and down with excitement - from having been able to share all kinds of important information about college savings with so many people and knowing they will all be better off because of it.

As I calmed down a bit after the webinar, I was reminded of a story I tell my children to make them laugh. I tell them how I played shortstop on my high school softball team. That alone makes them laugh. Then I tell them that when I made an out, I used to jump up and down with excitement. On cue, every time, they tell me, "Mom, you are supposed to make the outs. That isn't something to jump up and down about!!"

And so it is with these college savings webinars I present to families. They are free, open to the public, and offered at various dates and times. There are thousands of parents with kids of all ages that would benefit from the information, so it would stand to reason that a free college savings webinar would draw a crowd…every time. It should just be another night on the job for me…no elation…no jumping up and down. "I talked with parents about college savings tonight-no big deal."

The truth is, we have trouble drawing an audience on this topic. When we do a presentation about college admissions or financial aid for parents of juniors and seniors in high school, we get a crowd. We also get a lot of anxious and terrified parents worried about how they are going to pay for college. We help them through as best we can at that point, talking about the financial aid process, looking for scholarships, payment plans, and loans. Very often, I have a parent comment at the end of the webinar and say, "This was great, but you should really give these talks to 8th and 9th grade parents, or even earlier!" I tell them I do…I will…but I don't get a big response.

Recently, I gave another Early College Planning webinar, again speaking to families about saving for college, and a woman with a 7th grader said, "I know I'm jumping the gun here, but I just thought it would be good to hear what you have to say." I had to tell her that actually once she hears the presentation, she will wish she came last year. And later she told me I was right.

I'm sure there are many reasons people put off thinking about a plan to pay for college. We are all busy. It doesn't sound like a fun way to spend an evening. But really, it isn't so bad. What I know is that parents feel better after attending a webinar, and that the earlier you start thinking about this, the easier the whole college discussion is between parent and student. So here is my challenge: please help me think about ways to build an audience. Please help me to stop jumping up and down when I do. I look forward to the day when it's "Ho hum, another college savings webinar, another out - no big deal."

Watch our Saving for College webinar