Brilliant Baby College Savings Account

Part of enrolling Brilliant Baby, involves setting up a College Savings Account (CSA), for an eligible child. Brilliant Baby College Savings Accounts are set up as 529 college savings plans with a company called my529. Once the baby’s account is established, Oakland Promise deposits $500 into it. Held in a stock and bond investment account, this $500 for your child’s education will grow over time, giving your baby a leg up in paying for higher education.

Oakland Promise owns the child’s Brilliant Baby college savings account. The parent or guardian who set up this account with Brilliant Baby has “Interested Party” status. This means you can view the balance of your child’s account online at any time. AS the “Interested Party” you also will work with your child to contact Oakland Promise to pay out these funds for post-secondary expenses after they complete high school.

Families cannot deposit into the Brilliant Baby CSA, but can save for their baby’s education by setting up their own 529 college savings plan, alongside the Brilliant Baby CSA. If a family uses my529’s College Savings Plan to do this, they will be able to link that account to the Brilliant Baby CSA, and track all of their child’s college savings in one place.

There are many 529 College Savings Plan operators, including California’s ScholarShare program.  If you choose to open your family-owned college savings plan at my529, you will be able to link your child’s Brilliant Baby CSA with the college savings plan you set up and save money in.  

To open a “family owned” college savings plan at my529, use this link. Refer to these instructions (Spanish) to walk you through the process. Contact the Brilliant Baby program for assistance:  by email  [email protected] or phone 510-858-6054.

Parents of children with Brilliant Baby college savings accounts can check the balance of their child’s account online at my529.org.  To log in you will need the username (email address) and password you used to create your “Interested Party” access to the account when you enrolled your child. Go to the my529 website to log into your child’s Brilliant Baby college savings account.  Follow these instructions:  How to Log into my child’s my529 Account

If you have forgotten the username and/or password to your child’s college savings account at my529.org, please follow these instructions: How to Log into my child’s my529 Account

If you have moved since opening your child’s Brilliant Baby college savings account, please contact the Brilliant Baby program to let us know your new mailing address.  Only the Brilliant Baby program can update your mailing address at my529.  Contact us by email: [email protected] or by phone: 510-858-6054.

If you move, please be sure to contact Brilliant Baby to let us know your new mailing address, so you will continue to receive Financial Statements for your child’s college savings account from my529.  The money in this account is for your child’s college or vocational school expenses, regardless of where you or they live. They do not need to live in Oakland to make use of these funds. Your child is the official and only “beneficiary” of the money in their Brilliant Baby college savings account. Their social security number links them (and you) to this account at my529.

When your child completes high school and enrolls in a qualified post-secondary education program, they will be able to request their college funds be sent to their school of choice to pay for school-related expenses.  Contact the Oakland Promise for additional details. Funds in Brilliant Baby CSAs can only be used for qualified educational expenses.