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CalKIDS Program

 

The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) was created to help more children save for their future education. Launched by the State of California in 2022, CalKIDS provides an initial seed deposit and other financial incentives to eligible children. These funds are automatically invested through the ScholarShare 529 Plan, which grows over time to support higher education expenses. CalKIDS accounts are designed to be flexible, and participants can use the funds at any point before they turn 26 years old.

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Eligibility and Award Amounts

Students may be eligible if they need the following criteria: 

  • Newborns born in California on or after July 1, 2022.
  • Eligible low-income public school students in California.
  • Confirm your eligibility on the CalKIDS website.

Reference of CalKIDS eligibility which can be found on the CalKIDS website

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How to Request Your CalKIDS Distribution

  1. Go to the  CalKIDS Online Portal.
  2. Your name will populate in the  Account  section of the Request Distribution page.
  3. You can select to request a partial amount or the total amount available in your account.
  4. Distributions from a CalKIDS account will be sent directly to the institution of higher education you are currently attending. Enter your  Institution  name:  California State University – Fullerton  or the  Federal School Code.
  5. Next,  enter your CWID  in the Student ID. This step is VERY important; if you do not enter your CWID in the Student ID section, your distribution payment may be delayed.
  6. In the  Check Memo section, you can enter the semester when you want the funds to disburse (i.e.: Spring 2025). If you do not enter a semester, the Scholarship Office will use their professional judgement to select the best semester when to apply the funds to your financial aid account.

Reference of the CalKIDS disburse request from their website

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CalKIDS Fund Distribution Timeline and Support

After you request a distribution, Student Business Services may receive your funds within 10-14 days. After Student Business Services receives the funds, it can take another 6-12 weeks before you see the funds in your financial aid account. Please be patient, coordinating the funds with your financial aid package is a manual process. If at least 14 weeks have passed after you requested a distribution from your CalKIDS account, you can contact the Scholarship Office at (657) 278-3862 to check on the status of your funds.

Maximizing Your CalKIDS Funds

CalKIDS provides an initial seed deposit with funds automatically invested through the ScholarShare 529 Plan. These investments grow over time to support higher education expenses, though CalKIDS accounts are not guaranteed by the ScholarShare Investment Board, the State of California, or TIAA-CREF. First-year students don’t need to use their CalKIDS funds immediately—consider leaving the funds in the account to allow the investment to grow. By waiting, you increase the potential for savings growth before making a distribution request. Participants have until the age of 26 to use their funds.

Your CalKIDS Funds and Other Financial Aid

Cost of Attendance

Your Cost of Attendance (COA) reflects the maximum dollar amount of financial aid you may receive for the entire academic year. This includes federal grants, state grants, institutional grants, federal and private loans, scholarships, and other third-party aid.

Middle Class Scholarship

If you are a recipient of the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) and are also expecting to receive a scholarship, grant, or any other type of gift aid such as CalKIDS,  please expect that MCS may be reduced.

MCS 2.0 is subject to adjustments during the award year; any changes to the above MCS formula may result in an MCS award amount adjustment. Any additional financial aid offers received may result in reductions or loss of MCS eligibility, including but not limited to scholarships, state/federal grants, stipends, tuition/fee waivers, basic needs and emergency grants etc.

Per California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), a recalculation of the MCS will need to be done which may lead to a reduction of MCS. It may take a few weeks to see the updated MCS reflected on your financial aid account.

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