Not Many Families Accessing California’s College Savings Program for Their Children

Only about 300,000 students and families have accessed their CalKIDS accounts; that’s 8.3 percent of those eligible.

Children in a school classroom in Pacoima, Calif., on Feb. 8, 2019. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

A California program that helps kids from low-income families save money for college has been under-utilized, program officials said last month.

The CalKIDS program, launched in August 2022, opens a small college savings account for every low-income child in grades 1–12 and children born on or after July 1, 2022.