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About the Program

The Nevada College Kick Start Program awards every Nevada public school kindergartener with a free $50 scholarship deposited into a Nevada sponsored 529 college savings account. The program helps Nevada’s kindergarteners begin their path to college and assists Nevada families with saving for post-secondary educational expenses. The Kick Start scholarship is provided at no cost to eligible Nevada families and students are able to utilize the funds after high school graduation at a variety of eligible educational institutions.

The Nevada College Kick Start Program began in 2013 in 13 of Nevada’s rural counties and expanded statewide in 2014. Today, over 373,000 students have program accounts.

How it Works

Nevada College Kick Start scholarship accounts are created automatically based on information provided by the Nevada Department of Education to the Treasurer’s Office. The information includes the student’s name and school district ID number.

The program uses a portion of private program management fees, not taxpayer dollars, to set aside a $50 scholarship for every public-school kindergarten student in Nevada since 2013. The funds are held in a master account which is owned by the State Treasurer’s Office. The master account is managed by Ascensus College Savings, the program manager for the College Savings Plans of Nevada.

Kick Start scholarship accounts are not set up to accept any additional contributions outside of the initial $50 added by the State. Families must open a separate 529 Account to contribute additional dollars and in order to utilize the funds, the student’s social security number will be required upon redemption.

How to Register Your Child’s Kick Start Account In 4 Easy Steps!
  1. Kick Start ID# lookup: Click here to look up your child’s Kick Start ID number.
  2. Use your child’s assigned Kick Start ID#, Zip Code (from the address used at kindergarten enrollment), and Date of Birth to claim the account online at: www.vistashare.com/p/nv/kickstart. If you are claiming accounts for multiple children: Each child’s Kick Start account will require a unique username, but the password and contact email address for each account can be the same.
  3. Open a separate 529 college savings account if you would like to contribute additional funds to at https://nvigate.gov/programs/nevadas-529-plans/.
  4. Explore our website www.NVigate.gov to learn more about our programs and participate in our other educational resources, events, and contests. Every child who wants a higher education deserves a hand – and NVigate is here to provide it!

For questions related to the Nevada College Kick Start Program, please contact the Program Coordinator directly via email at kickstart@nevadatreasurer.gov.

How to Access an Existing Account

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