With 2026 underway and families setting goals for the year ahead, California is reaffirming its commitment to young people through CalKIDS, the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program. Backed by a $2 billion statewide investment for more than five million children, CalKIDS is the largest education-focused asset-building effort in the nation, providing automatic scholarship accounts to millions of California children and students to help pay for college or career training after high school.
As families look toward opportunities a new year brings, claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship Account is a simple step with a lasting impact. Eligible children and students can receive between $175 and $1,500 in free scholarship funds, with no application, no essays, and no income verification required. These funds are already set aside for children and students and can be used for qualified higher education expenses, making CalKIDS one of the most accessible scholarships available to California families.
“CalKIDS has been an amazing success, with nearly one million scholarship accounts already claimed by California families,” said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, Chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board, which administers CalKIDS. “Families across the state still have a tremendous opportunity to claim scholarship dollars already set aside for their children and students, funds that can help lower the cost of college or career training and expand what’s possible for their future.”
More than 60 percent of public-school students in grades two through 12 are eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship Account worth up to $1,500. When CalKIDS launched in 2022, the program awarded scholarship accounts to students from elementary school to high school, meaning current college students may also be able to claim and use their CalKIDS Scholarship funds today. Awardees can use their funds until age 26.
Additionally, 100 percent of newborns born on or after July 1, 2022 in California automatically receive a CalKIDS Scholarship Account worth up to $175. This includes an initial scholarship awarded at birth, with additional incentives available when families claim the account and link it to a ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan where they can continue saving on their own.
CalKIDS Scholarships can be used for tuition and fees, required books and supplies, computer equipment, and other qualified education expenses at accredited institutions nationwide making CalKIDS one of the simplest and most flexible scholarships students can claim in the year ahead.
To date, CalKIDS scholarship funds have been used by nearly 150,000 students towards their academic success at a college or career training program.
Claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship takes only a few minutes at CalKIDS.org.
● For public school students, including those who are now college-aged, families will need the Statewide Student Identifier (SSID), a 10-digit number found on school portals, report cards, or by contacting the public school the student attended during the 2021-22, 2022-23, or 2023-24 academic years.
● For children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, families will need the child’s date of birth and the Local Registration Number, a 13-digit number found on the birth certificate.
Once an account is claimed, families can log in at any time to view their scholarship balance, link it to a ScholarShare 529 account, learn how the funds can be used, and request a disbursement once the student is enrolled in higher education or career training.
Families are encouraged to check if they have a CalKIDS Scholarship Account available to claim by visiting CalKIDS.org.
The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) is the nation’s largest child development account program, providing scholarships for higher education.
