WSSNews | Volume 39 No. 45

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026

California Families and Students Can Celebrate Financial Wellness Month by Claiming Their CalKIDS Scholarship letters, making it an easy first step for families CalKIDS encourages long-term planning and planning ahead.

SACRAMENTO, CA - Financial Wellness Month is a time for families across California to set goals, build healthier money habits, and plan for the year ahead. It's also the perfect moment for parents and guardians to take one simple step that can make a long-term differ- ence for a child's future: claim a CalKIDS Scholarship Account that may already be wait- ing in their name.

CalKIDS is a statewide program that provides automatic scholarship accounts to help Cali- fornia newborns, young children, and eligible public-school students pay for college or ca- reer training. For many families, the schol- arship is already available and just needs to be claimed by visiting CalKIDS.org. Unlike many scholarships, CalKIDS does not require essays, a minimum GPA, or recommendation

Statewide, more than 60% of public school students in grades 2-12 are eligible to claim a CalKIDS Scholarship worth up to $1,500. Eligible college-aged students may also have a CalKIDS Scholarship Account and can use funds once they are enrolled in an accredited college or eligible career training program.

Additionally, children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, also have a scholarship account worth up to $175. This includes an additional $50 for parents and guardians who link the child's CalKIDS Scholarship Ac- count to a ScholarShare 529 Account, Cali- fornia's official education savings plan, where they can continue saving on their own. Link- ing to ScholarShare 529 Account is one-way helps families build savings habits over time. "California is investing in our children be- cause education and career training are the strongest pathways to opportunity," said State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, Chair of the Schol- arShare Investment Board. "CalKIDS is a $2 billion public investment that puts scholar- ship funds within reach for millions of Cali- fornians. During Financial Wellness Month. I encourage parents, guardians, and students to visit CalKIDS.org, to see if they have a schol- arship account ready to be claimed."

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