WSSNews Vol. 39 | No 41

WESTSIDESTORY NEWSPAPER

Start 2026 Strong by Claiming Your

CalKIDS Scholarship

SACRAMENTO, CA-As the year comes to a close and families begin setting goals for the year ahead, California is reaffirming its com- mitment to young people through CalKIDS, the California Kids Investment and Develop- ment Savings Program. Backed by a $2 billion statewide investment for more than 5 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 think about meaningful gifts this holiday season and prepare for the opportuni- ties 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 es- says, 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 avail- able to California families.

"CalKIDS has been an amazing success, with nearly 1 million scholarship accounts already claimed by California families," said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, Chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board, which ad- ministers CalKIDS. "As we look ahead to the new year, 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% of public-school students in grades 2 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 stu- dents from elementary school to high school, meaning current college students may also be able to claim and use their CalKIDS Scholar- ship funds today. Awardees can use their funds until age 26.

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