CalKIDS aims to close gaps in educational equity and empowers children to pursue higher education. Students can check their eligibility to receive scholarships at calkids.org. Courtesy photo

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - As National Scholarship Month shines a spotlight on the power of educational opportunity, California celebrates the growing impact of the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) Scholarship Program, the nation’s largest children’s development account program, serving more than five-million children statewide.

Launched in 2022, CalKIDS provides scholarships worth up to $1,500 for eligible public-school students and up to $175 in scholarships for every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022.

Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board and chaired by state Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, CalKIDS was created to make higher education more accessible for California families and to promote college-going mindsets across communities.

In just three years, more than 750,000 students have already claimed their scholarships, which can be used to help pay for tuition, books, housing and other educational expenses at accredited colleges, universities and vocational schools across the country.

“CalKIDS is one of the smartest investments our state has ever made. The program is a catalyst for building family assets and expands access to education,” said Treasurer Ma. “For older students, it offers real financial support to meet immediate education needs. For younger families, it plants the seeds of lifelong financial literacy.”

The CalKIDS Program is designed to advance educational access and economic mobility for California families. By giving every eligible child a scholarship account automatically, with no application required, CalKIDS removes barriers and provides families with an easy first step toward higher education.

“Having a CalKIDS [Scholarship] Account had helped me a lot,” said Abigail Lopez, a California State University, San Bernardino student. “I found out about it my first year of college and wanted to use it to pay my tuition, books and housing. It relieved some stress I had about paying for things for school. I will forever be grateful for the money I had received from CalKIDS.”

For many new parents, CalKIDS serves as an early reminder that it’s never too soon to start thinking about their child’s future.  

“College may be a long way away, but seeing my son get his first scholarship last year was a special moment as a new parent,” said Lindsay Ferguson of Orange County.

Said Cindy Duran, Faculty CalWORKs coordinator and Saddleback College counselor, “My experience with CalKIDS has been eye-opening, especially when students are able to use the money for college and vocational school. CalKIDS provides families with an additional way to receive money for their education that most students aren’t aware of. What makes CalKIDS even more impactful is that families don’t need to apply; accounts are created automatically and students can simply register online to claim their funds.”

Sixty percent of all Californian public-school students in second- to 12th-grade are eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship. 

One-hundred percent of children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, can claim a CalKIDS Scholarship. 

Families can visit www.CalKIDS.org and click “Confirm Eligibility” to check eligibility and claim a CalKIDS Scholarship.

Public school students will need their Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), a 10-digit number found on the student’s school portal, transcript or report card, or by directly contacting their school.

Parents of newborns will need the 13-digit Local Registration Number (LRN), located on their child’s birth certificate.

Once a CalKIDS Account is claimed, students can request to use their scholarship funds after turning 17 and enrolling in an accredited higher education or career-training institution. 

CalKIDS plays a central role in California’s cradle-to-career vision, promoting savings behaviors and college-going mindsets in communities statewide. Research from Washington University in St. Louis’s SEED OK study, found that a small investment at birth can change family behavior and expectations for years to come, especially for marginalized households and communities of color.

Scholarship investments such as CalKIDS help close long-standing gaps in educational equity and send a powerful message to children: the future is yours. The full Washington University in St. Louis study can be found online at csd.wustl.edu/items/seed-for-oklahoma-kids-seed-ok-2.

Families and students are encouraged to take the easiest step toward a brighter future by visiting calkids.org today to check eligibility and claim their CalKIDS Scholarship.