Op ed: Give the gift that lasts a lifetime to your child this year. Give the gift of Education.

Courtesy Nevada Deputy Treasurer Sheila Salehian

Parents, can you believe it is November already? Where does the time go? It seems like the kids just got back to school and it is already time for the Holiday Season.

If you’re like me, you look forward to the holidays, but also find gift shopping, planning family get-togethers, trying to make sure you have everything covered while working full time, and being the best parent you can be, a bit overwhelming. This year, you could skip the mall, skip Amazon, and stop worrying if your gifts will be the right style, size, color, or fit, by considering giving a gift that will last a lifetime, the gift of higher education.

That’s right, a college education opens the door to many opportunities in a child’s life which include higher lifetime earnings (studies report up to a million dollars more than just a high school degree), not to mention invaluable knowledge, skills, higher employment, fewer college loans, and greater job satisfaction.

Don’t know where to start? How about the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Plan? This program is a state administered program that lets you buy in-state college tuition credit hours at today’s rates, for use when your child is ready to go to college. That’s right, if your child is 5 years old today, and you lock in a 4-year University plan, you can pay for it monthly, for 10 years, and when your child is ready to go to college, their college tuition is covered 100 percent if they go to UNR or UNLV. And if your child goes to college out of state, like about 30 percent of the participants in the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program do, the value of the University Plan goes with them.

Many families use the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program benefits at Harvard, Yale, University of California – San Diego, etc. The University program pays out at the UNR/UNLV rate, and scholarships, 529 college savings plans, financial aid, etc. make up the difference IF the out of state school charges more than an in-state Nevada System of Higher Education Institution.

Parents that bought the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program in 1999, paid around $7,000 and now the program is paying out more than $24,000 on their child’s behalf. The earlier you start saving, the more affordable the program is.

When you buy when your child is still in elementary school, you have time on your side, and you’ve bought ‘peace of mind’ knowing that your child’s college tuition is already paid for, at today’s rates. Enrollment Opens Nov. 1, 2018 and closes March 31, 2019. If you enroll your child by January 31, 2019 you will be entered to win one free year of college tuition valued at $6,720.

Learn more about Nevada Prepaid Tuition and learn about other College Savings Programs and scholarships administered by the State Treasurer’s Office at NV529.org. Call the office staff at 1-888-477-2667 or email us at prepaidtuition@nevadatreasuer.gov. Enjoy the holiday season!