Dream big.
That’s the message at the heart of the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS). The program provides $2 billion in state funds for millions of California children with the goal of inspiring families and students to prepare academically and financially for higher education at an early age.
CalKIDS brings greater equity to our society by opening higher education opportunities to families that have often been left out.
Under the program, each California public school student from a low-income family, as defined by the Local Control Funding Formula, receives $500. This can increase to $1,500 for some especially vulnerable students.
In addition, all babies, regardless of income, born after July 1, 2022, will receive between $25 and $175.
But we need your help. To be able to use the money, which can only be spent on higher education costs, parents or guardians must claim the accounts. It’s an easy process. Instructions are at calkids.org/
To claim these accounts, however, parents or guardians need to know about the program. As PTA volunteers committed to improve your school communities, you are ideal messengers.
Please help us spread the word! Tell friends, neighbors, family members and classmates of your students. To learn more, check out this Toolkit.
Research has proven that even a small amount of college savings can transform a child’s future. Children in families with low-to-moderate incomes are three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate than children without an account.
CalKIDS is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, a California state agency managed out of the State Treasurer’s Office Recently, the program celebrated its first anniversary. We’ve accomplished a lot:
- 4 million accounts were created.
- 217,000 families claimed their college savings.
- The state distributed $9 million to institutions of higher education to pay expenses for more than 15,000 students.
We can accomplish a lot more with your help. Please join us in helping to fulfill college and career training dreams of our students. It’s an investment in our children and our future.