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WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

Riverside Schools Become Statewide Model for Connecting Students with CalKIDS Scholarships

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) is emerg- ing as a statewide model for helping families access CalKIDS Scholarships by combining financial literacy education with coordinated outreach across school communities that con- nects students with scholarships worth up to $1,500 for higher education.

The CalKIDS Program represents a $2.2 billion state investment in children's futures, providing scholarships for college and career

In San Bernardino County, Black babies are almost three times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies. From 2018 to 2023, the number of babies born too early went up by more than 10%. Black mothers also have a higher chance of feeling sad or depressed during pregnancy, which can affect both mom and baby.

HAPP training. The program is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board and chaired by State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA.

Under RCOE's leadership, educators are conducting targeted outreach, embedding fi- nancial literacy and CalKIDS into everyday school engagement to increase awareness and drive scholarship claims. This approach has led to five schools in Riverside County achiev- ing a 100% CalKIDS Scholarship claim rate, including Lasselle Elementary, West Riverside

Rallying Around Sisters

Perinatal Equity in San Bernardino County

But there is hope-and people are taking action. That's where FIMR, the Fetal Infant Mortality Review, comes in.

FIMR is a local group of doctors, nurses, community leaders, and neighbors. They work together to learn why some babies die and how to stop it from happening. They look at real cases (mom's and baby's information is kept private) and share ideas to help make care better for families.

Elementary, Myra Lynn Elementary, Good Hope Elementary, and San Jacinto Leadership Academy.

In Riverside County, more than $178 million in CalKIDS Scholarships have been designat- ed for more than 340,000 public school stu- dents. So far, approximately 34% of students have claimed their scholarships, including more than 54% of students in grades 9-12, un- locking more than $60 million to support fu- ture college or career training.

"California created CalKIDS because we know that when students believe higher edu- cation is within reach, they are more likely to pursue it," said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA. "As we continue to align CalKIDS with broader outreach and financial aid efforts, in- cluding FAFSA and the California Dream Act Application, we are creating more opportu- nities for students to access and claim their CalKIDS Scholarships. Strong partnerships build on these efforts. RCOE has become a model for district initiatives and school-site outreach, showing how coordinated engage- ment helps students and families take action and claim their scholarships."

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Together, we can build healthy beginnings for Black families.

For more information, visit dph.sbcounty.gov/mcah or email [email protected].

• SAN BERNARDINO
• COUNTY
• Public Health