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State officials say 70% of students in Los Angeles County public schools may qualify for a university scholarship fund worth up to $1,500.
With the arrival of university acceptance and financial aid letters in the coming weeks, students across the state may be surprised to see that they are eligible for additional scholarships for university or career training through Calkids, the state’s automated scholarship program for low-income public students.
In LA County, the program has increased more than $524 million in scholarship funds available to public school students over the past three years.
To utilize these funds, students do not need to write essays, show their GPAs, or compile a list of personal and professional recommendation letters. Instead, students will need to find a statewide student identifier number available through the school and request an account on the Calkids website. Authorities say the process will only take a few minutes.
Two students will be seen wearing chalkid shirts at the program’s first anniversary event. (calkids)
Calkids is the largest child development account program in the United States and is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Committee. Founded in 2022, the idea was to automatically open scholarship accounts for millions of California public high school students.
Scholarships can be used for tuition fees, books, consumables, or computer equipment from accredited universities, community colleges, trade schools, and other work training programs. Registering online allows students to request that funds be distributed directly to the school.
“Calkids is an incredible resource for families in Los Angeles County,” said California State Treasurer Fiona Ma. “Advocating for Calkids scholarships is the easiest step for students to take their path to higher education and we hope that all eligible students will be able to request scholarship accounts and make the most of this opportunity.”
Cassandra Dibenedetto, executive director of the Scholarshare Investment Board, said the scholarship account is more than just financial support. “They are reasons to believe in the future.”
In a news release issued to KTLA on Tuesday, Calkids cited a UCLA student named Shaniya.
“I was using my money to pay for the first housing bill, so I was able to save more money for the next two payments,” Shaniya said.
State officials hope that partnerships between local outreach and school districts and other organizations will help raise awareness about the Calkids program.
Students and families are encouraged to visit Calkids.org to confirm eligibility and request an account as soon as possible.
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