Smartsaver Community

Last spring, the Toronto District School Board launched a board-wide partnership with SmartSAVER, and in my role as a Community Worker for Model Schools I try to bring people’s attention to this incredible program. I first heard about the SmartSAVER program at work. I felt really intimidated about talking about RESPs and the Canada Learning Bond. I didn’t understand that stuff, but over the past four months, I have come to learn a lot. It took a little while before I could get my mind around it, but when I really started to listen I was extremely surprised by the simplicity of the SmartSAVER program. I learned that SmartSAVER does not sell anything and they just want people to know about the free government grant money that is available for post secondary education. I became very motivated to spread the word to my schools, especially when I learned that six out of 10 children who are eligible don’t know about the program.

Here are things that I tell every parent I meet:

• The SmartSAVER program connects kids to their future.
• RESPs are the perfect way for parents to let their kids know that they expect great things for them.
• With SmartSAVER the RESPs don’t require any contribution, making it easy for more people to use them.
• Since the Province of Ontario has introduced free tuition for families with low incomes, having the Canada Learning Bond  can help to pay for all of the costs outside of tuition such as textbooks, rent and food.

It’s my hope that we can continue to reach more and more families and create possibilities for all students to achieve their best.

Ian Macpherson

Community Worker for Model Schools, Toronto District School Board

Ianmacpherson.ca