"But more than half of parents are talking with their children earlier about paying for college
Despite the fact that a significant number of families are having tough early conversations about paying for college, a new Citizens Bank survey shows that they still wish they had more time to plan, and the process is more difficult than expected.
In its second annual Student Lending Survey, Citizens found almost one-third (30%) of parents say that they first spoke to their children about paying for school when they were in the 8th grade or earlier, and more than half (53%) before the end of their child’s freshman year. While this is an encouraging trend and suggests that families are looking more closely at the long-term implications of student loan debt, a smaller number (9% when their kids were in the 8th grade) were actually looking into loan options available in the market during that time." …
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/majority-both-parents-students-wish-134600978.html