The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) automatically creates seeded scholarship accounts for public school students and all newborns born in the state on or after July 1, 2022. The effort aims to expand access to essential learning tools, reduce barriers to higher education and encourage participation in the tax-deferred academic account program, according to a recent news release.
CalKIDS is administered by ScholarShare 529, California’s state-sponsored college savings program, which oversees education investment accounts on behalf of students and families statewide. Through ScholarShare’s investment board, the program manages and distributes funds seeded by the state for eligible youth.
“Research indicates that children who have some money, even if it’s minimal amounts of money, set aside for college, are three times more likely to go to college and four times more likely to complete it,” said Cassandra DiBenedetto, executive director of ScholarShare’s investment board. This is consistent with broader research, such as a 2024 report by the University of Michigan.
DiBenedetto said money in a CalKIDS account can be used by students to cover tuition costs for college, apprenticeships and trade schools, as well as for purchasing books, devices and other academic supplies.
That flexibility shaped a recent promotion, conducted in partnership with Audacy radio stations, designed to encourage families to claim their student’s 529 accounts: Those who did so were entered into the statewide laptop giveaway. DiBenedetto said CalKIDS awarded eight families with Chromebooks via a random drawing, distributing two laptops each in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento.
“The laptop is kind of your cornerstone of technology,” she said. “A tablet has limitations. It’s just a more tangible thing. It’s a keyboard, it’s a laptop. It’s a little sturdier. … We wanted to ensure that we were giving a piece of technology away that was super functional, easy to use, easy to understand, didn’t require loads of downloading apps and those sorts of things.”
According to DiBenedetto, the response from families underscored how critical that access can be. She described how, for a family, a laptop is much more than a convenience — it can be a vehicle for parents to apply to jobs, for students to complete schoolwork and engage in exploratory learning, and for families to feel like online information is simply more accessible.
While other states have education savings or child investment accounts, DiBenedetto said California’s model differs from similar programs in other states by directly linking education savings to student needs, including technology.
“The path to higher education starts with access,” she said. “And when families receive tools like laptops, it becomes easier to take that first step.”
Looking ahead, DiBenedetto said the agency is assessing future partnerships that could support similar initiatives, while continuing to focus on increasing awareness and participation in CalKIDS.
“Our hope is also that we continue to scale acceptance of CalKIDS,” she said. “The more we talk about it and the more we get it out there … that will also be part of it.”
The CalKIDS model contributes to a broader national discussion about how education savings programs can support long-term postsecondary planning in addition to addressing immediate barriers like technology access. The effectiveness of programs like CalKIDS, DiBenedetto said, depends on intentional implementation.
“Make sure that the communities that you’re leaning into have the need and the acceptance of the product that you’re gonna use,” she said.
