CalKIDS
The First Steps Toward College
The State of California is proud to announce the launch of the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS). CalKIDS gives children in California a jump start on saving for college or career training. To be eligible for CalKIDS, participants must be:
Born in California on or after July 1, 2022; or
An eligible low-income public school student in grades 1-12* in California.
All participants receive a seed deposit in a CalKIDS account to help pay for future education after high school.
“Education is the gateway to opportunity for all California kids. Once a mind is stretched, it can never go back.”
—Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
*Please note that eligibility for low-income public school participants is defined by the Local Control Funding Formula.
Meet CalKIDS
Watch this 1-minute video to learn more about CalKIDS
CalKIDS Webinars
Did you know?
Research shows that children with $500 or less designated for college savings are 3 times more likely to enroll in college and nearly 4 times more likely to graduate than children with no savings.1
CalKIDS aims to:
- Promote a college-going mindset in all California children
- Provide families an initial seed deposit to jump start personal savings
- Help families establish a positive pattern of saving while their children are young
- Support families in relying less on student loan debt when they’re ready to send their kids to college
1. Source: (Elliott, W., Song, H-a, & Nam, I. (2013). Small-dollar children’s saving accounts and children’s college outcomes by income level. Children and Youth Services Review, 35 (3), p. 560-571).
