TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Prepaid is now offering two new incentives over the summer months to help residents get their child’s college savings started. 

One incentive puts $50 into all new 529 Savings Plans opened through June 30, and the other incentive offers 10 families the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship and prize pack if they visit a state park this summer.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida Prepaid is offering two new incentives to help residents get their child's college savings account going

  •  One incentive gives a $50 credit to anyone who opens a new 529 Savings Plan through June 30

  •  The other will award 10 families a $1,000 scholarship for visiting Florida State Parks during the summer

“We have found that if you put as little as $25 a month into a 529 Savings Plan from the time your child is young, baby, toddler, you can grow that to several thousand dollars over the course of their K-12 education," said Florida Prepaid spokesperson Shannon C. Smith. "So by the time they’re ready to go to college, then they have nest egg there ready to go.” 

One family at the Hillsborough River State Park said these incentives could really make a difference in some students' lives. 

At just 4 years old, college isn’t the first thing on Christina Connor’s grandson’s mind — on Monday he was learning how to swing, and if anyone can teach him, it’s his grandmother 

Connor is an English professor at Hillsborough Community College, so teaching is second nature. She brought her grandson, Cassiel, to the Hillsborough River State Park, where she was pleasantly surprised to learn about the new partnership between Florida Prepaid and Florida State Parks, which is providing 10 Florida families with $1,000 scholarships this summer just for visiting.

“At a community college, that can be three or four classes,” she said.

All families have to do is scan the QR code on signs scattered all over Florida State Parks and enter their information. 

Opening a 529 Savings Plan, if they don’t already have one, will give them a $50 credit, and enter them into the drawing for the $1,000 scholarship.

“The majority of our students are on some sort of funding, whether it’s a program like Florida Prepaid or Bright Futures," Connor said. "It’s really hard for parents in our current economic climate to be able to pay for their children’s college, so programs like this, even if it’s $1,000, can make a big difference. In a semester, that’s more than enough for books."