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October 27, 2025
By Laurie Hanson
Through a new data-sharing partnership, students and families with sights on secondary education can receive $1,500 through the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS).
“This is a collaborative initiative between the ScholarShare Investment Board and California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) based on a mutual mission in supporting students in financing their higher education,” said Catalina Mistler, Chief Deputy Director for CSAC. “It’s an important demonstration of state agencies working together to support students.”
“CalKIDS is another resource students can use to support costs associated with tuition, books, and supplies,” she added. “By increasing access to CalKIDS, CSAC is supporting these students with additional resources in their educational journey.”
CalKIDS is the nation’s largest child development account program. The state automatically awarded more than 5 million children with CalKIDS Accounts worth up to $1,500. The funds can be used for college and career training programs. Students or their parents simply need to go online to claim and use their CalKIDS Account using their SSID, which is shown on the CSAC WebGrants portal. This data partnership will increase awareness and opportunities for students in accessing their CalKIDS Account, according to Mistler.
Beginning with up to $1,500 from the State of California, the CalKIDS accounts can be used by the recipient child between ages 17 and 26 at eligible higher education institutions. The program is available to millions of students across the state, and this partnership seeks to increase awareness while supporting students with early funds to pay for higher education.
“CalKIDS participants can claim funds at any time and can use them once they are at least 17 years old and enrolled in a college or career training program,” she clarified. “It was launched in mid-October 2025. Students and parents can benefit immediately by logging onto their CSAC WebGrants portal to see if they have a CalKIDS Account too.”
Funds are sent directly to the participant’s institute of higher education to cover their education expenses, including tuition and fees, books and supplies, and computer equipment. The data sharing has started, and eligible students can see information on their WebGrants login developed by CSAC.
“This data-sharing partnership is significant in helping connect more students to available aid and scholarships,” said Mistler. “By integrating CalKIDS into CSAC’s existing portal for students, we’re expanding our reach in helping students access resources in paying for higher education.”
In 2022, the CalKIDS program was started by the State of California with the mission to help jumpstart college savings for children by awarding scholarship accounts to them. CalKIDS is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board and offers financial support to eligible school students and all children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, as well as other financial incentives.
“This partnership consolidates easy-to-access state financial aid programs into one source to help students,” Mistler explained. “CalKIDS is the easiest scholarship in the state, with no essay or GPA requirements. The WebGrant portal shares the student’s statewide student identifier (SSID) with them, which is the only number needed to claim their CalKIDS Scholarship Account.”
“Our mission with CalKIDS is to break down barriers to higher education by giving families across California a stronger financial foundation and opening doors to opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach,” said Fiona Ma, CPA, California State Treasurer and Chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board. “By partnering with the California Student Aid Commission, we can connect directly with students, ensure they understand their eligibility, and guide them in taking full advantage of these scholarships to pursue college and career success.”
With the new data-sharing partnership, students and families will have earlier access to college affordability options. More than 2.2 million students, high school counselors, and financial aid administrators use CSAC’s present structure but will now be able to learn about CalKIDS. Eligible students are notified, connected to CalKIDS accounts, and guided on how to utilize them to make their educational dreams come true.
“We are grateful to CalKIDS for this partnership,” said Dr. Daisy Gonzales, Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission. “Together, we can help make college affordable for many more Californians.”
She added that by utilizing the power of data sharing across state agencies, they can close information gaps—something very important in this day and age—as CSAC connects with 2.2 million students, all K–12 districts, and every institution of higher education.
“We are the partner that can connect students and families with CalKIDS, and CalKIDS is the missing link when we seek to promote educational equity in our state,” she said.
“I am so excited for this partnership with the California Student Aid Commission,” said Cassandra DiBenedetto, Executive Director of the ScholarShare Investment Board. “We already know children with college savings are three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate. Whether our students want to pursue a four-year university, a community college, apprenticeship, or trade school, California is ready to invest in you.”
CSAC will conduct new outreach modalities as early as this month, with additional outreach and professional development for higher education and K–12 staff expected in Spring 2026. CSAC is the primary agency responsible for administering financial aid programs to students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools. Their mission is to make education financially accessible to all while promoting educational equity, ensuring students have access to aid in order to pursue higher education.
“This is a pivotal partnership that represents a powerful investment by our state,” said Catalina Cifuentes, Chair of the California Student Aid Commission. “The CalKIDS program will provide a scholarship for college or career training to thousands of future students, and this partnership will help raise awareness of the program. Public schools will now be able to access data reports and identify potentially eligible students, allowing for more students to access their CalKIDS Accounts.”
CSAC presently serves more than 2.2 million students while administering more than $3.9 billion in student financial aid programs and services, including the Cal Grant, the Middle-Class Scholarship, and the California Dream Act Application. For more information, visit their website at www.csac.ca.gov.
Students are encouraged to visit their WebGrants page at https://webgrants.csac.ca.gov/. To learn more about CalKIDS or claim the CalKIDS Scholarship Account, visit www.calkids.org.
