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Photo courtesy CalKIDSEast County News Service
Oct. 14, 2025 (San Diego County) -- California-born babies can getting an early start on saving and investing.
Through the California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program, every baby born in the state of California on or after July 1, 2022, automatically has a scholarship waiting in their name, worth up to $175 -- and that includes more than $8 million set aside for children born in San Diego County alone.
CalKIDS is the state-funded college savings program that provides automatic seed deposits and potential financial incentives in the form of scholarships for eligible California children to use for higher education and career training.
For newborns and young children, the state invests up to $175 in a CalKIDS Scholarship Account -- $100 for being born in California (for babies born July 1, 2023 or later; amount is $25 for those born between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023); $25 extra when parents claim the account online, and another $50 extra for linking the account to a "ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan."
The ScholarShare 529 is a flexible and tax-advantaged savings plan for a child's higher education
"That’s up to $175 already invested in a child’s future, long before applications, admissions essays or financial aid forms come into play," a news release from CalKIDS said.
The CalKIDS news release reports that "with August, September, and October among the most common birth months in California, thousands of families are becoming newly eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship."
The organization says that claiming the scholarship can be done at no cost at CalKIDS.org
To start the process, parents or guardians need to share three pieces of information:
- The county where their child was born;
- Their child’s date of birth;
- The 13-digit Local Registration Number on the birth certificate or a unique CalKIDS code mailed to their home.
Once claimed, families can log in anytime to view balances, link a ScholarShare 529 Account and learn how funds can be used.
Eligible expenses include tuition and fees, required books and supplies, and computer equipment at accredited higher education institutions nationwide.
Research shows that children with even small savings for higher education are three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate. Education is also one of the most powerful tools to break the cycle of poverty.
The news release said that, "By giving every child in California a first scholarship, CalKIDS brings that opportunity to families from day one and makes the path to higher education more attainable for millions."
Since launching in 2022, CalKIDS has become the largest child development account program in the country. More than 700,000 families have claimed their scholarships.
In addition to newborns, CalKIDS also created accounts for over 4 million public school students, accounting for more than 5 million children total with CalKIDS Scholarship Accounts and $2 billion invested.
Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, and Chaired by State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, the CalKIDS program is designed to promote the pursuit of higher education statewide by empowering families to build assets, nurture savings habits and raise their educational aspirations.
CalKIDS is designed to help families start planning early for college and career training and providing scholarships for higher education.
Administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, and Chaired by State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, the program is designed to promote the pursuit of higher education statewide by empowering families to build assets, nurture savings habits and raise their educational aspirations.
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