California Families and Students Can Celebrate Financial Wellness Month by Claiming Their CalKIDS Scholarship

SACRAMENTO, CA — Financial Wellness Month is a time for families across California to set goals, build healthier money habits, and plan for the year ahead. It’s also the perfect moment for parents and guardians to take one simple step that can make a long-term difference for a child’s future: claim a CalKIDS Scholarship Account that may already be waiting in their name.

CalKIDS is a statewide program that provides automatic scholarship accounts to help California newborns, young children, and eligible public school students pay for college or career training. For many families, the scholarship is already available and just needs to be claimed by visiting CalKIDS.org. Unlike many scholarships, CalKIDS does not require essays, a minimum GPA, or recommendation letters, making it an easy first step for families planning ahead.

Statewide, more than 60% of public school students in grades 2–12 are eligible to claim a CalKIDS Scholarship worth up to $1,500. Eligible college-aged students may also have a CalKIDS Scholarship Account and can use funds once they are enrolled in an accredited college or eligible career training program.

Additionally, children born in California on or after July 1, 2022 also have a scholarship account worth up to $175. This includes an additional $50 for parents and guardians who link the child’s CalKIDS Scholarship Account to a ScholarShare 529 Account, California’s official education savings plan, where they can continue saving on their own. Linking to ScholarShare 529 Account is one way CalKIDS encourages long-term planning and helps families build savings habits over time.

“California is investing in our children because education and career training are the strongest pathways to opportunity,” said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, Chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board. “CalKIDS is a $2 billion public investment that puts scholarship funds within reach for millions of Californians. During Financial Wellness Month, I encourage parents, guardians, and students to visit CalKIDS.org, to see if they have a scholarship account ready to be claimed.”

The program has created more than 5 million individual CalKIDS Scholarship Accounts, making it the largest child development account program in the nation. For families, claiming a scholarship is a practical step that can make planning for college or career training feel more real and achievable.

How to Claim a CalKIDS Scholarship Account

Claiming a scholarship is quick, easy, and can be done entirely online:

● Go to CalKIDS.org and click “Confirm Eligibility”

● For newborns and young children born on or after July 1, 2022, enter the child’s Local Registration Number (LRN), a 13-digit number found on the child’s birth certificate.

● For students in grades 2-12, enter the Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), a 10-digit number found on the student’s school portal, transcript, report card, or by contacting their school directly. College-aged students who no longer have access to their school portal can contact their former high school to request their SSID.

CalKIDS scholarship funds can help cover qualified education expenses for college or career training, including tuition and fees, required books and supplies, and computer equipment. Scholarship funds can be used once a student is at least 17 and enrolled in an accredited college, university, or career training program.

Mallory R., a student from Evergreen Valley College shared, “CalKIDS provides low income students, such as myself, with additional financial support for higher education. CalKIDS has been a fundamental resource for my academic career through the provision of additional financial support thus allowing me to completely focus on my academic journey without financial insecurity.”

For many students and families, discovering they have scholarship funds through CalKIDS can be more than financial support. It can make planning feel real and achievable, and it can encourage earlier steps toward education and career goals.

“The CalKIDS program has been a catalyst for building a culture around financial wellness,” according to Dora Beyer, Vice President of Community Development at Excite Credit Union. “We have dozens of schools and non-profits collaborating on outreach and education around how CalKIDS supports college readiness. Students and families appreciate the simplicity of the program and are eager to learn about additional ways to prepare financially for education.”

Financial wellness is built through consistent habits and forward-looking choices, and Financial Wellness Month is a reminder that planning ahead does not have to be complicated. Through CalKIDS, California is helping families build assets and expand access to education and career training. For older students, the program provides real financial support to meet immediate education needs. For families with young children, CalKIDS plants the seeds of lifelong financial literacy and savings-minded habits.

As a cradle-to-career program, CalKIDS helps families connect today’s small step to tomorrow’s opportunity. Parents, guardians, and students are encouraged to visit CalKIDS.org to check eligibility and claim a scholarship account as part of their financial planning for higher education.

About CalKIDS:

The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) is the nation’s largest child development account program, providing scholarships for higher education. Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, and Chaired by State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, the program is designed to promote the pursuit of higher education statewide by empowering families to build assets, nurture savings habits, and raise their educational aspirations. Eligible public school students can receive CalKIDS Scholarships worth up to $1,500 and every child born in California on or after July 1, 2022, is awarded a CalKIDS Scholarship worth up to $175, ensuring more families have the resources needed to support their children’s education. To learn more, visit CalKIDS.org.