More than $20 million available in CalKIDS Scholarships for community college students

California's Cradle-to-Career Data System is helping connect more than 40,000 community college students to access over $20 million in CalKIDS Scholarships. For many first-generation students navigating their first year of college, this scholarship money can help pay for tuition, books, laptops and other school supplies.

Brianna Sanchez will be attending Cal State Los Angeles, starting her very first semester in the fall. She shared that her high school counselors and college advisors informed her about the CalKIDS Scholarship and, overall, the process to apply was easy. “This scholarship has honestly brought a really big financial relief to me and my family,” Sanchez said. 

She told CALÓ News that the scholarship funds will support her tuition as she begins her college’s pre-nursing program. “I'm taking a lot of science-based classes my first year, so it's going towards my lab fees [and] online courses. I also had to purchase lab coats and goggles as well,” she said.

Sanchez said that obtaining and being aware of these scholarships are crucial for Latino students. “I believe accessing something like this is really special. I think it just brings a big relief and I think it's just like a really big support for us Latinos to continue to go to school and feel supported,” she said.

California has invested about $2 billion in scholarships since the program launched in 2022. Mary Anne Bates, executive director of California's Cradle-to-Career Data System, shared that CalKIDS was designed and rolled out by the state to expand access to college through scholarships. “This is a very big program and a lot of people are eligible for these accounts,” she said.

Bates advises college students to check their eligibility by first confirming whether an account exists for them to claim. The second step is obtaining their statewide student identification number, which can be provided at the campus financial aid office. She also emphasized that it is important to keep in mind that funds must be used before the age of 26.

So far, one million families across the state have claimed their CalKIDS “baby bond” account. Scholarships typically range from $500 and up to $1,500. 

Bates said that one of the biggest barriers that students have in accessing the scholarships is simply being unaware that there's money waiting for them in these accounts. Many of the CalKIDS scholarships are left unclaimed.

“We're really doing this partnership to help Californians pursue their college goals,” she said. “There are a lot of different parts of the state and different educational institutions who are all working to try to make sure that students know about CalKIDS.”

Students and families can quickly check eligibility and claim an account at CalKIDS.org or by going to their community college financial aid office.