A college education represents a significant financial commitment, and programs like the former Cuyahoga County College Savings Account aimed to ease that burden for families. However, parents are now raising concerns after discovering the program shut down more than ten years ago, leaving the status of their funds uncertain.

Program Details and Initial Enrollment

The Cuyahoga County College Savings Account program, advertised as free to participate, automatically enrolled each kindergartner in the county, such as current high school senior Arianna Vaughn. A $100 initial deposit was made by Cuyahoga County into each account to kickstart the savings. Families were then provided with deposit slips to contribute additional funds.

How the Program Was Intended to Work

Program materials stated, “The College Savings Account program may secure donated funds to add to your account, but the primary way your child’s account will grow is through your contributions.” Accounts were opened through KeyBank, with each child assigned a unique account number.

Parents Discover Accounts Closed

Deborah Vaughn, Arianna’s mother, stated she never used the provided deposit slips, meaning only the initial $100 county contribution was in the account. As Arianna prepares to attend Kent State University in the fall to study nursing, Deborah attempted to withdraw the $100 a few weeks ago. She discovered the account had been closed with no funds available.

“I went down to the bank to find out all the accounts had been closed out,” Deborah said. “I was asking every parent I could think of and parents couldn’t remember the program.” She shared her experience on Facebook, where she learned from other parents that all accounts were allegedly closed in 2015.

Concerns About Account Security

Deborah expressed shock and confusion, stating, “I was stunned. It was a bank account. I mean, I didn’t think you could just go in and withdraw money from somebody else’s bank account. Once you have a bank account, it’s secured I thought. Somebody else opened it, I didn’t think you could just go in and take the money out.” She is now seeking answers regarding the whereabouts of the money and why she received no notification about the program’s termination.

County Response and Remaining Funds

Cuyahoga County Press Secretary Jennifer Ciaccia confirmed the program ended in 2015. Ciaccia stated, “At this time it appears that most everyone who participated received their money. The county does still have a small amount of funds that weren’t dispersed/collected because we could not locate the individuals to pay out, or they didn’t respond to notices that were sent out.”

Seeking Resolution and Contact Information

The Vaughn family is now contacting the county to attempt to recover the funds. Individuals who participated in the program and have not received their money are encouraged to email fiscalquestions@cuyahogacounty.gov.