Thursday, October 15 | Volume 40 No. 31

Thursday, October 15, 2026

State, Local Education Leaders Highlight Nearly $162 Million in CalKIDS Scholarships Available to San Bernardino County Students

Fontana event advances countywide efforts to help more than 348,000 eligible students claim scholarships for college or career training

FONTANA, CA. — California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, joined students and education leaders at Fontana High School on Thursday, October 8, to highlight a countywide effort helping more than 348,000 eligible San Bernardino County public school students representing more nearly 78% of public-school students countywide, learn about and claim nearly $162 million in CalKIDS Scholarships available for their future education. Co-hosted by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in partnership with Fontana Unified School District and the Schol arShare Investment Board, the event brought CalKIDS claiming support directly to students and showcased how schools across the county are helping families connect with scholarships already available to them. At Fontana High School, more than 1,400

CalKIDS Scholarship Accounts are available to eligible students. During the event, students participated in an on-site CalKIDS claiming activity and received support navigating the claiming process, while state and local education leaders highlighted the resources available to help students take the next step toward college or career training. Attendees also heard from Christopher Bautista Garcia, a 2024 Fontana High School graduate and CalKIDS Scholarship recipient who is now a junior at UCLA. Garcia returned to his former high school to share his experience claiming and using his CalKIDS Scholarship as he continued his education. “Thankfully to CalKIDS they were able to help me out with a free $500 that I was able to use for textbooks,” shared Christoper Bautista Garcia. “It is super easy; you got to claim your account!” CalKIDS is administered by the Scholar- Share Investment Board and chaired by Treasurer Ma. The program is part of the State Treasurer’s Office Financial Security for All initiative, which Treasurer Ma launched to help Californians build long-term financial se curity at every stage of life. CalKIDS provides eligible California public school students with scholarships worth up to $1,500 to help pay for qualified education expenses at commu nity colleges, universities, career training programs, trade schools, vocational schools and other eligible institutions nationwide.

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