As college acceptance and financial aid letters arrive, California’s high school seniors and college students have a major opportunity through the CalKIDS program to ease their education costs. CalKIDS is the nation’s largest child development account program, providing scholarships for higher education. This statewide initiative, administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, provides eligible California public school students with CalKIDS Scholarships worth up to $1,500 — helping them take the next step toward college or career training by easing financial barriers to higher education.

Eligible students can use their CalKIDS Scholarship Accounts for tuition and fees, books and supplies, and computer equipment. Since 2022, approximately $1 billion in CalKIDS Scholarships have been made available to more than 2 million of California’s public high school students.

To get the word out about this program and ensure students and families are aware of and claim their CalKIDS Accounts, the ScholarShare Investment Board has established partnerships with high schools, school districts, community-based organizations and financial aid directors at community colleges and universities across the state. Through a recent back-to-school campaign, these partnerships helped drive nearly 100,000 new scholarship claims in just four months.

“CalKIDS is an incredible resource for California families,” said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board, in a news release. “Claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship is the easiest step students can take on their path to higher education, whether that means college, trade schools, or technical and vocational schools. This investment is designed to support students, particularly those from historically underserved communities. We want every eligible student to claim their scholarship account and take full advantage of this opportunity.”

Claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship is quick and easy. Families simply need the student’s Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), a 10-digit number, which can be obtained by contacting their school directly. Once they have the SSID, parents or students can visit CalKIDS.org to check eligibility and claim a scholarship account in just minutes.

The funds can be used at accredited colleges, universities, trade schools and career programs across the country. Once enrolled in a higher education program, students can log into their CalKIDS Account to request a distribution directly to their school to cover qualifying educational expenses.

For students like Samantha from Moreno Valley College, a CalKIDS Scholarship was a game-changer. “I felt very fortunate and less stressed … it was a huge help. I used the money for books and testing materials for school.”

“Studies show that students with just $500 or less set aside for college are three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate,” said Scholarshare Investment Board Executive Director Cassandra DiBenedetto. “CalKIDS Accounts are more than financial assistance — they’re an investment in students’ futures, and we want to give every one of these students a reason to believe in their path to higher education.”

For more information on eligibility, scholarship amounts, and how to claim an account, visit calkids.org.