School counselors hold the key to unlocking CalKIDS opportunities

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OPINION — More than 5.6 million California students are eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship Account, with over $2.3 billion already set aside to help them pursue college or career training. Eligible students in grades 2–12 may have up to $1,500 waiting to support their future education.

The opportunity is real, and claiming a scholarship takes only a few minutes.

The challenge is not eligibility, it is awareness.

That is where school counselors make the difference.

School counselors are trusted advocates who help students and families navigate college and career planning, financial aid, and postsecondary decision-making. Every day, counselors help students envision their future. CalKIDS provides another powerful resource to turn those aspirations into reality.

CalKIDS is the nation’s largest child development account program. Many students are automatically eligible based on information already reported by their schools, including family income, English Learner status, foster youth status, or homelessness. There is no application, essay, or competitive selection process. For many students, the funds are already available, they simply need to claim them.

A single conversation can make all the difference.

When meeting with students and families, ask a simple question: “Have you checked to see if you’re eligible for a CalKIDS Scholarship Account?” Then encourage them to visit CalKIDS.org, where they can claim their account using their 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID). The process is quick, but the impact can last a lifetime.

To expand awareness, the California Association of School Counselors (CASC) is encouraging school counselors, schools, districts, and county offices of education to take the CalKIDS Pledge and designate a local lead to support outreach efforts. Together, we are working toward an ambitious but achievable goal: helping every California county reach a 75% claim rate by Winter Break 2026.

The pledge campaign provides a practical framework for coordinating local outreach while connecting schools with resources, training, and technical assistance. More importantly, it helps ensure that eligible students are not overlooked.

Counselors can easily integrate CalKIDS into work they are already doing. Include it during FAFSA and CADAA outreach, college and career readiness lessons, individual academic planning meetings, financial literacy activities, senior presentations, and family engagement events. Adding one more question to an existing conversation can unlock meaningful financial support for a student’s future.

CalKIDS scholarship funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment, and technology at eligible colleges, universities, and career education programs nationwide. Although students have until age 26 to use their funds, claiming them early allows families to make more informed decisions about postsecondary education and training.

As graduation season approaches, this work becomes even more important.

Every graduating senior should know whether they have a CalKIDS Scholarship Account before leaving high school. Include CalKIDS in senior checklists, exit meetings, college signing celebrations, and graduation communications. Helping students access these funds before they graduate reinforces that higher education and career training are attainable goals.

School counselors have always been champions of educational opportunities. CalKIDS gives counselors another meaningful way to remove financial barriers and expand access for students who need it most.

Every eligible student who claims a scholarship represents more than financial assistance. It represents increased confidence, expanded opportunity, and another step toward a brighter future.

The resources already exist. The funding is already available.

Now, together, we can ensure students know it is waiting for them.

Because when students realize that support for their future is already within reach, college and career pathways become more attainable, more tangible, and more possible, and that journey often begins with a school counselor.

Dr. Loretta Whitson is the executive director of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC), which represents school counselors serving students throughout California.