This article reports that advocates of state-sponsored college-savings plans seek to use the current credit crunch as a wake-up call for parents and policy makers to shift away from the growing use of loans by families to cover college costs. In the long run, savings are the best way for most families to avoid the burdensome costs of private borrowing and the uncertain availability of student loans. In general, families have been borrowing too much money to pay for higher education. Many of them are resorting to home-equity loans or high-interest credit cards to cover the gap between the federal loans they qualify for and the rising price of tuition. The College Savings Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes "529 plans," held a first-ever forum in Washington last week to trumpet the need for more college savings and to propose policy changes meant to encourage more low- and middle-income families to participate in the plans, which have already seen enormous growth in recent years.Higher Education;